Darkness of the Blood Jewel
by Violet Wings
Summary: The Blood Jewel, a being of night and blood, has lost all touch with humanity and is hunted by a secret organization. But the immortal CEO soon realizes that there is more in this long-lived feud than just simple hunters...much more...
1. C1 : Another Assassin

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Yu-Gi-Oh and do not condone any of the violence that will occur during this fanfic. This will be a rather violent story with references to sex, drugs, alcohol, and language, so if you are easily offended, you probably shouldn't read this. I should also warn that there will be no pairings in this fanfiction; Ishizu is merely stated as a main character because, well, she will be in this fanfiction. The two won't be having sex.

_Better Summary: The current Blood Jewel, one of the very few vampires living on the planet, is being threatened by an organization over a disagreement that happened centuries ago. The Blood Jewel is no pushover, however, and because of his constant battles has lost all touch with humanity. But as he gets deeper into this war, he finds out that he is not the only one involved, as people claiming to be knights, his own family problems, and the organization's confrontations begin to spiral out of control._

I hope you enjoy the story.

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_Chapter 1: Another Assassin_

My life was always on the line. Every waking moment, there was another person after me, against me, all with their own agendas and reasoning for hunting me down. Some were after my company, others after my wealth, and then there were…others. Others who hunted me for my abilities, my powers, my position in this race of humans. It was their way of showing their 'superiority' to me; it was my way of telling them that I was here to stay. I don't know how they know of my abilities, but I guess my past successors made it a rather big deal. I tend to just keep it to myself.

Don't think I enjoy this life…actually, I guess I do rather enjoy it, now that I think on it, though that would be admitting that I have a sadistic mind. Heh, anybody in my state would. This state of mind is oh so dangerous, oh so tempting…but I digress. So I enjoy this lifestyle of living during the day in a company only to kill at night.

That's right, I said the magical word: kill. These hunters, if you wish to call them by such name (I call them assholes), are always after me, and I make it a point to walk the dark streets of Domino City at night. They come after me, thinking that they are the first one to ever do so, their knives unsheathed and guns fully loaded, ready to move at any given second. They sneak around me, not understanding that my senses are trained to listen for them. I already know they're behind me, ready to strike, and I have already predicted their next move. Before the night is out, their blood is in my system, reviving my dead body and allowing me another chance to taste that beautiful, red liquid.

So it was just as every other night, but I must admit this wasn't something that became boring. Far from it. This was actually invigorating, this routine that has laid itself out for me without my permission. It was always the same, yet different every time. I would kiss my little brother's forehead, my dear, precious brother, before leaving him to sleep in his warm, safe bed. A boy that I fought to the end for did not even know of my actions, and though I was ashamed of this fact, it was something that was needed for our survival. After all, he could not take on this role. Nobody should…

Once that little ritual was done, I would immediately leave home and travel the streets of Domino. It was so different at night; the technological advances and lovely scenery seemed to die when the sun went down. Instead, the clubs' lights were on, music blared intensely loud (especially for my level of senses), and I could sense everyone's energies draining every second. It made it easy to pinpoint my hunters, for their energy levels were always higher than those of normal citizens. They were preparing all day for their extermination of me and most likely figured that the more energy they had to spare, the better chance they had. In fact, it was the opposite. If they came around me dead tired, I would have mistaken them for a drunk or other has-been that lived during the nights of Domino.

The energy, the scenery…none of that meant anything to what else came with the night here in Domino. It was a time when I was myself. You might think of that as being a fragile thing, but it meant the world to me. I could transform my mind into what it truly was: a monstrous being that craved the sustenance of life. I looked at people not as business associates, dueling enemies, or mere secretaries. I looked at them as _meat_, as beings lower than myself. They were; they all were. I was not being conceited or rude or pompous in this statement. I was being truthful. Truthful…to myself, and to the world.

So now my eyes scanned the crowd behind my sunglasses, worn to cover my eyes that turned red when my mind went into this mode. Some things could not be controlled; my eye color when my true state took over was one of these. I never wore my trenchcoat attire at night, for it would immediately give away my identity. After all, that's why I wore it during the day every day. It made it simple to hide in the shadows, shadows I called my home these nights. For now, my black pants, dark red t-shirt, and sunglasses hid me from the rest of the world.

Scanning the crowd, I felt their auras of energy around them, most of them surrounded by darkness while others filled with light. It was nice to see the truth of people these nights. Most people in line for these clubs had light in their auras while the bouncer keeping outsiders out had darkness surrounding his image. It was ironic and almost humorous that the protector was the one who probably shouldn't even have a job.

Closing my eyes, I took in a deep breath and felt the movement around me. People going into the clubs, people sweating and driving their cars, elderly trying to get home, young kids running into their parents' arms… It was all here. Nothing out of place.

Opening my eyes back up, I continued walking down the sidewalk, my own aura moving people out of my way without pushing them. As Seto Kaiba, the people moved out of way in awe or admiration. As the darkness, people moved out of fear. And boy, did they have something to fear out of me.

It was another block or so before I felt the first sign of a hunter. I knew he was coming; I had felt his presence. But the aura had not been felt until now. It was a light that was brighter than any other human. After all, these hunters all came from the same place, the same organization. Their auras were all the same: bright and full of confidence in their hunt. It was a state of mind that distinguished itself amongst the drunks of Domino.

I smirked and decided to play around a bit. After all, it was a bit early for the hunter. Why not mess around with him? Turning the corner, I began walking down another street, this one containing many of the stores that were opened late at night. Fashion stores, music stores… All stores were open at night. I never understood the concept of people going shopping at night. The stores were always more crowded during the night than the day. I was one of the only members of my kind, which meant that people _chose_ to buy their heavy metal cds and wedding dresses at midnight. Yeah, that sounded intelligent.

I walked into the music store and took in another deep breath. The man behind the desk seemed pretty tired, and looking over at the **hours open **sign, it read that the store closed in a half hour. Just enough time to see this hunter for myself. I walked down the aisle, glancing at all of artists and cds, knowing what I was looking for but feigning that fact. After all, the shorter time I took, the shorter time I would be granted to see the next man sent to kill me tonight.

Ah, here it was. Mokuba had been begging for this cd for the past month, and I told him I would eventually buy it for him. Now seemed like a good time. Passing it, I glanced at the artists around it before closing my eyes and taking in another deep breath. Yes, he entered the building. He was…right behind me.

My eyes widened in surprise, and I slowly turned around to see the man. Sure enough, he was staring at the cds next to me, his eyes dead set on me in all reality. Obviously he wasn't trained in the ways of stealth. He was making sure I knew he was here. What an imbecile… I turned back around, now knowing his appearance. Blonde hair, white coat with brown pants and a white shirt. He was dressed formally, dressed for his own death.

Well, he wanted to ruin my fun. I would have to take that personally later. For now, I picked the cd up and walked over to the cash register, placing it on the glass counter and waiting patiently as the man rang it up. I gave him a twenty even if it only cost sixteen and told him to keep the change. He was staring suspiciously at me, but I couldn't blame him. All humans could never tell good, but they could sense the bad. I was definitely bad. Evil even. And though they didn't have the heightened senses I had, they could sense evil.

Once the cd was in the bag and handed to me, I left the music store, keeping my senses on this man sent to kill me. He slowly followed me out of the store and down the street. I walked casually, not wanting to force the night to end so soon, and placed my hands in my pocket, the bag that was wrapped around my wrist swinging against my leg. He would like the cd as a random present. Mokuba's smile always made my day…my life.

Now this man was beginning to bug me. I knew he was gaining on me. He knew absolutely nothing on subterfuge, didn't he? Even a random stranger could tell he was following me. That would attract attention… Attention was bad. It was time to deal with this man. He was personally offending me.

Taking a right, I began to walk down a path that led towards the central park. There was always a central park in every big city. I think they were made for my kind, really. Anything could happen in a park, and I mean _anything_, yet nobody was ever caught. It was a tried and true plan, one that I took advantage of from time to time. I was smart about my killing, but maybe a night in the park would be nice.

Once the two gates leading into the park passed me, the silence of the park enveloped me. The tree branches swayed in the slight breeze that passed. There was no light; the moon obviously did not want to shine her beauty onto this night. The lights were out. Everything was still in this central park of Domino City, save for the footsteps of myself and the man sent to kill me. He chuckled, and I took a few more steps before coming to a halt.

"You know nothing of stealth," I commented, feeling the need to state the obvious.

"I don't need stealth to kill you," he replied, his voice deep as he cackled like a madman. They all were…and yet they pointed the finger at me as being evil. "I have been waiting night after night for this opportunity."

"I'm sure you have," I stated, smirking at his idiocy. "Did the previous Blood Jewel kill somebody from your family, or did your organization send you to kill me just as a job?"

"Ah, you know of our organization, I see."

"I have to. You send people every night to kill me."

"I'm glad to see you're well-informed of the group who wants to murder you."

"You're an idiot, you know?" my smirk widened; I felt a surge of anger in my enemy's aura.

The hunter cackled, and I sensed his movement towards me. "I'm an idiot? You are the one who walks the night, letting our organization hunt you down—"

"—And kill you every night," I interrupted. "Yes, I know. But I don't want your blood staining my carpets."

The hunter cackled again. "Your carpets, eh? It is my understanding that we have orders to not harm your brother. After all, he did not inherit your family's condition."

My hands tightened into fists at this assumption. "It was not my true family's condition. But then again, that is none of your concern. Now are we going to begin this or not? I have a delivery to make."

"Oh, so you drag this night only to want to end it quickly?"

"You are ruining my evening. I must get rid of you." As I said this, my fists slowly went to my side, my energy beginning to course down into my hands. I felt the energy begin to form into my friends, my two partners in crime if you will. I loved this ability, this useful technique of forming these friends of mine…

"Right you are. I guess we may start this duel of ours. But first…let me see your eyes."

I frowned at this comment. "Why do you want to see my eyes?" I asked, feeling the cold metal begin to form in my hands.

"I want to see the eyes of the vampire I kill tonight. I want to see that red… That red that you steal every night, I want to see die and cloud over before your ashes sit on my table at home."

I chuckled and stopped the energy flow to my one arm, sending the leftover energy into my other hand. Yes, my one gun was formed now. I was armed, but I didn't really need to be armed to take this man on. He was an idiot, a weakling, one lower than myself. My fangs could do that simple task. But why not humor the idiot before he met his maker?

Turning around, I saw the man smiling widely at me, a medium-sized knife in his hand waiting to taste my blood. I slowly reached up and took my sunglasses off, making his smile widen even more. My red eyes that showed my true self were now revealed. And now…now I was revealed. "Happy?" I asked, my voice seething in rage.

"Yes…yes…" He nodded his head and pointed his knife at me. "Now it is time for our duel."

"Good." In a split second, all energy went into my hands, and both guns formed themselves in my palms. Blood guns, as they were called, but I knew them as my only allies in these nights. The silver metal felt cold in my hands, and the blood ammo was visible in the glass containers that held the blood within them. It only took another second for me to aim my guns at this madman, this hunter, this lowlife, and fire.

He dodged two of my bullets, yet one entered straight through his leg. He groaned in pain and kneeled down on the ground, blood beginning to pour out. Not the blood I shot at him; that was black, poisoned blood. His was red, thick...tasty. The man's eyes were wide, yet his smile widened even more. "You are strong… Good. I don't want to win against a weakling."

"You are the weakling. Not I."

"Oh, but that's where you're wrong, you Blood Jewel. You thief of blood, you hater of life."

I smirked at his comment. "Yes, I steal blood from others. It is how I live. You know this out of anyone. And now…now your blood will fill me."

"Not if I can help it!" he exclaimed, standing up and launching himself at me. Stabbing me in the chest, I felt the cold blade go into my system, through my muscles, my blood stream, almost through my heart. But it was not enough. Nothing was ever enough. Yet he was another one lied to, as his face now showed.

"That's right," I whispered, placing both guns at his temple. He was shaking now, sweat beginning to form along his blonde hairline. The truth had sunk in. "You were wrong. I am not like other Blood Jewels. You can't stab me in the heart and kill me like all the others. And now you will pay the price."

"Wha…what are you?" he asked, his voice now soft and scared. How easily the strong fell. How much a little false information did in these dark, depressing nights.

"I am what you said I am. I'm a Blood Jewel." Leaning forward to glare into his eyes, I said, "A hater of life, a thief of blood. I am your killer. I am Death."

"NO!" he shouted, plunging the knife deeper into me, piercing my heart. I groaned in pain and bit my bottom lip before pulling both triggers. Bone, brains, and blood splattered everywhere as his skull was blown into a million pieces. A lifeless, headless body fell against me, and taking a few steps back, I watched it fall to the ground. Another hunter dead. Another madman gone.

And yet evil still lived.

Looking down at my hands, I allowed the energy of my prized beauties to return to the darkness they came from, the energy returning to my body. Blood covered my entire outfit, and licking my lips, I moaned in pleasure at the taste that entered my body. I kneeled down and put my hand to his chest, watching the blood pour out of his body. I then took my hand back and licked the blood that covered my hand. Yes…the brightest auras always had the richest blood.

Standing back up, I felt another energy source come by. It was the organization. They were here to claim another dead body. They always watched me, watched the battles I had with them. They studied me carefully, like the animal I was, always planning their next move against me.

An entire organization against one vampire…and they had no success thus far.

And they never would.

Smirking once more that night, I stood up and began to walk away, knowing the organization would clean up the mess. They always cleaned up; if the public found out about them, there would be more chaos than if they found out about me, the Blood Jewel. Death, Evil, a vampire. That was my condition, a condition I was forced to take. That was why they hated me. I was Evil; they believed they were Good. It was simple, yet difficult at the same time.

But no, there would be no more fighting tonight. One man a night. That was the way it was. I guess they knew they could only afford losing one man a night if a hunter were to come after me. They were done; they now had cleaning up to do, and I had a delivery.

I also needed a shower.

Looking down at myself, the blood evident on my clothing, I realized that a darker alleyway home was necessary. I would go home, take a shower, and get Mokuba's present ready. After all, the bag was covered in blood too, and he could never find out about these nights. He would wake up, I would give him his present, and he would question me on the sleep I got last night. I would say a few hours, like always, and he would say how unhealthy it was, like always. If only he knew there was no such thing as sleep for the dead, Evil, Death itself. I _could_ sleep, but that would only bring back memories. Memories I didn't want… Memories I didn't ask for…

Go home, take a shower, and prepare Mokuba's present. Leave the cleaning for the organization. That was all I needed to know right now.

Finding a dark alleyway, I began my journey home.

It was the same as every night, yet different. Another assassin gone, a present for Mokuba. Unlife truly went on.


	2. C2 : Coffee and Phone Calls

_Chapter 2 : Coffee and Phone Calls_

I smirked as I pushed the top button on the panel in the elevator, the doors sliding shut and the machine beginning its ascent. Leaning against the metal wall, I closed my eyes and remembered the joy Mokuba had this morning when I gave him his present. He had of course questioned when I found the time to buy the cd only to scold me for being up so late. Day-in and day-out I lied to that kid…and yet he thought I was the best brother a kid could ever have. If only he knew of the atrocities I have committed all these nights, these years… But he can't. And he never will. I promised myself the day I became the Blood Jewel that I would protect the kid from the darkness of night, keeping him innocent. His aura…I would never let darkness grow within it.

The elevator rang as it came to a stop, the doors opening to reveal the lobby right outside my office. Arisa, my personal secretary, smiled as I entered. Her long, black hair was in two braids, and today she was wearing a black, v-neck, sleeveless top, most likely completed with a black skirt and shoes. It didn't make her look part of the Gothic scene, however; black made this woman look professional. "Good morning, Mr. Kaiba," she said in a quiet voice. "I received some phone calls today from Tsubah Communications. Apparently they want to set up an appointment with you concerning some of your newer technology." Walking over to her desk, I watched as she winked and added, "I will be in with your coffee shortly."

That was all I needed to hear. Nodding my head, I strolled into my office and shut the double doors behind me, sauntering over to the glass desk in the back of the large office and placing my silver, bullet-proof briefcase down on the end. My office was very simple and stereotypical; an entire wall was dedicated to bookshelves, I having already read most of the books, one wall had a built-in television set and two dark green couches in front so that visitors (a.k.a Mokuba) could watch it. There was black, marble flooring and white walls, a single overhead light illuminating the room.

Then there was the wall made entirely of windows behind my desk, and as I sat down in my black, leather chair, I could see the sunlight shining in and illuminating the room. Ah, how I loved my position in this world. The shit humans made up about my kind were as ridiculous as the claims saying they could kill me. Garlic, holy water, even the sun were my enemies? Ha! Nothing could stop me. But then again, there was only me.

Well, I guess that is false. There were a few other vampires in this world, but out of a population of six billion humans, there were perhaps only six including myself. I only knew of one other, however that individual stated he had others on his side. Whether I believed him or not was another tale. Speaking of which…

As if on cue with my thoughts, the phone rang obnoxiously loud. I pressed my finger on the speaker phone and chuckled. "Well, good morning Uebana Kance," I greeted through the speaker.

"Good morning, Kaiba Seto, or should I simply refer to you as 'The Pretender' from now on?" he questioned, his medium-pitched voice coming through. You could almost say it was high-pitched, but my senses were distorted compared to humans. What was loud to them was nothing to me.

"You ask that question every day, Uebana, yet I give you the same answer," I retorted, leaning back in my chair and smirking. I could feel my eyes beginning to turn color and decided to let it go. Nobody was here except Arisa, and she was getting me my coffee. "You can call me the Blood Jewel if we need formalities."

"Ah, but you see, that would require me to believe you to be such a creature," he remarked slyly. "And that, my friend, is not what I have in mind."

"So I've come to understand over these past years." Uebana Kance was the head of this organization against me, an organization simply known to me as 'the organization', having no real name to go by. It was a huge deal centuries ago, but as time progressed, its numbers dwindled down to the ones I kill every evening. I didn't understand how they recruited these people, and I didn't care to know. But Uebana and I had more in common than a simple feud. We were both vampires. And he didn't respect my authority as the Blood Jewel. As one can see, that leads to problems.

Ever since I inherited title as the Blood Jewel, Uebana has sent men to kill me almost every night, claiming that, as an elder above me, he had every right to the throne. What I often wondered was why he wanted it so badly. But those things I don't often think about, especially when my true state takes over. Then it is simply a matter of survival, primal instincts taking over, of killing people, or vampires as the case may be, which stand in my way.

"It is my understanding as well that you killed another of us this past evening," Uebana continued. "I am deeply troubled by your stubbornness, Mr. Kaiba. In fact, I'm afraid that the numbers you have cost my organization are becoming quite a problem."

"There is a solution to this problem, you know," I countered. "That is to merely pull your troops out of my city."

"That would be admitting defeat, and a Uebana never admits defeat."

"You call me stubborn, yet you would throw away your organization just to get to me?" I asked the question as if I was surprised. Of course he would; the Uebana family has been against the lineage of Blood Jewels that eventually found its way to me since the Middle Ages. They were known to be selfish assholes, yet people continued to work for them. It was a pointless question for an even more pointless crusade.

"I just wanted to inform you that, because of the problems you have caused us, I'm afraid we'll be lowering our watch on you," he continued. As he said this, I heard the door open and quickly looked up to see Arisa walk in, a tray of coffee in her hands. I smirked and watched as she walked towards the coffee table set in the middle of the room and placed the tray down. Before she could turn around to leave, I held my finger up, indicating I wanted her to stay. She did. She was always so obedient.

"Lowering the watch?" I questioned.

"I promise you that no harm will come to those who you associate with," Uebana stated. "Your brother is not the Blood Jewel; I have no quarrel with him. It is you that I am after, and let me assure you, I will claim your title and avenge those you have defeated. However, recruitments are rather low, and me being the gentleman that I am decided to give you a call and tell you that you will not be enjoying my organization's blood every night from now on. Do not take this as a victory, Mr. Kaiba."

I chuckled and leaned forward, my elbows now on the desk. "Uebana, so you say, but yet you call me every morning and deliver the same speech. Just because we are the same species does not make us equal. I will continue my reign as the Blood Jewel, and your organization will fail, just as it always has and is now showing signs of doing. Now, unless there is anything new you would like to report, which I highly doubt because you never seem to, then I'm afraid I must actually get some work done rather than waste my time dealing with an imbecile chasing something that doesn't belong to him. Good day, Uebana."

"And good day to you, Mr. Kaiba," Uebana replied. "Let us hope that the next hunter that finds you does a better job than the last." The line went dead, and I rolled my eyes and clicked the button to turn speaker phone off.

"I must say, I do not understand why he calls you every morning to basically inform you that you are still alive," Arisa stated as she poured a cup of coffee into the clear mug. Walking forward, she gently placed it on the desk and smiled. She was so intelligent, but her voice and movements showed an elegance and quietness unlike I had ever seen. She was graceful about everything.

"He does it to make sure I know I haven't killed the last of his organization," I explained, grasping the cup in my hand and smirking, my fangs beginning to show. It was my favorite joke against humans, my obsession with coffee. Everybody, including Mokuba, knew that I could not function daily like I do without the essential goodness of coffee. What they didn't know was what was _in_ my coffee…or even that it wasn't coffee I was drinking at all…

It was synthetic blood.

Synthetic blood, unlike human blood, lacked the flavor but still packed the same punch. I had designed it so that I could continue my progress around the clock, making sure that sleep was not a necessity. Many vampires lived in the night, drinking once or maybe twice a day, before going into their damned sleep. I hated to sleep; sleep brought back nightmares that I could never shake off. So by drinking my 'coffee' everyday, I could continue on without the useless waste of hours for a nap. Besides, it provided me with entertainment. Humans said I couldn't function without it, and they were right… They just didn't know why.

"Is it to your liking?" Arisa asked as I took a sip of it. Of course it was; I made it. And as the blood trickled down my throat, filling me with the much-needed energy, I could feel power slowly returning to me.

"Yes; thank you," I replied, smiling widely at her. "It is always a pleasure to come to work when you have this waiting for you."

"Might I ask, sir, why you don't just feed before coming to work?" Arisa asked. Arisa knew of my condition, of what she was giving me, and she accepted the responsibility fully. She was definitely not a Knight, however she served her purpose as a human servant. Besides, I needed no Knight to protect me. I was immortal.

"That would attract far too much attention," I explained, leaning back in my office chair and taking another sip of the red liquid. "Businessmen and high-class officials are the only ones that leave for work when I do, and if word got out that they were attacked, it would draw the unwanted attention of the police and hunters. By hunting on the weak and useless, I can keep the public eye off of me."

"An intelligent plan, sir," she stated. I set the cup back down, and she asked, "Would you like another cup, sir?"

"Yes please," I answered, watching her as she picked the cup up and refilled it before setting it back down.

"So…you hunted another hunter?" she questioned, her smile slowly fading.

"Yes. He stalked me around the downtown area, and I quickly disposed of him in the park."

"Did he say who he was?"

"No. He wanted to see the color of my eyes, and then I killed him."

"Why did he want to see your eyes?"

"I guess he wanted to make sure I was truly a vampire."

Arisa chuckled and shook her head. "Your fangs obviously don't give it away."

"Yes, I know. But they are all idiots, people without a brain that blindly follow that ignorant Uebana fool. They deserve the death that I give them."

Nodding her head, she asked, "Do you think there will be another hunter tonight? They seem to be pretty lax as of late."

"I highly doubt he has the men to do so. After all, I kill almost one a night, and I'm sure that recruitment isn't that high. Only the extreme people will join him, and his army I'm sure has no idea who he really is. He even admitted he was lowering the watch. So no, his motley bunch of followers most likely won't be stalking me around as much as they have been."

"What do you mean by 'motley bunch', sir? I thought they were all trained professionals." I was surprised that Arisa was asking so many questions. She was usually one to just accept what I told her and keep quiet. It wasn't that I minded, but… It was strange.

"The hunters he employs either work for the church or are just in it for blood," I stated. "Yet the religious people wouldn't accept the fact that he is also part of the Damned society, or what little there is of it, and the mercenaries don't care. Either way, they are people who don't have a place in normal society, so it is the perfect army for him."

"Why do you not hire several people to hunt them down for you?" Arisa asked, tilting her head to the side in confusion. Her neck was fully shown, and it took a lot of willpower in me to not jump over the desk and drain her dry. The blood kick-started my system, but it also put me in primal mode. Sure it would wear down in another ten minutes or so, but it was difficult to focus on the conversation. I was, after all, a monster.

"That would, again, bring about too much attention and lead to an all-out turf war. I will never allow it to get to that level again."

"I… I see." She slowly took the cup away and walked back to the table, setting it down on the tray before picking it back up. "You will never lose to those hunters, correct?"

She was so adorable, Arisa. That was the only word to describe her…well, maybe cute. Either one, it was a word that I hardly used, yet there was no other way to say it. She did whatever I asked of her, never once questioning, always in it for my best interests. She always worried about me, where I was, what I was doing, and whether I was okay or not. I realized that it may be the reason she is now asking me so many questions. Yet she was neither a vampire nor a Knight, so her reasoning for following me around was still unknown to me. I just knew that light prevailed in her aura and that I was basically God to her. That's all I really needed to know for now. It wasn't like she didn't have a brain and blindly followed orders; she just used her brain to assist me. It was cute.

"Arisa, I will be fine," I reassured her. I could sense her level of relief increase slightly and smirked. "You have nothing to worry about."

Slowly nodding her head, she picked the tray back up and bowed slightly before asking, "Is there anything else I can get for you?"

"Get the representative from Tsubah Communications on the line," I ordered, starting my computer up and pulling several folders out. It was time to get down to business, time to put on my human mask. It was time to do my duty as Seto Kaiba, CEO of KaibaCorp. "I will need a list of the parts acquired for our new project from yesterday as well."

"Yes sir," she answered before turning and leaving the office. I embraced the silence that enveloped the room at her departure, frowning and leaning back in my chair. I could feel my blood high coming down, returning me to my human state of mind, the primal urges within me slowly washing away. This was the responsibility of the Blood Jewel: to act human in front of society while being the beast you are at night. It was a position that I had come to embrace, for it meant having a purpose during the day while relieving frustrations about that purpose at night.

What always confused me was this Uebana Kance. Why anybody would volunteer for this position was beyond my line of reasoning. Who would want this responsibility? Who would want the problems that came with this lifestyle? Heh, this was no lifestyle…this was just a chosen destiny for me, a pathway I was pushed and forced to take for the rest of eternity. This was my eternity…a word that made me shiver every time I thought it. It was something I was made to embrace, to accept. Gripping the edge of my chair, I groaned as memories began to pour into my head, opening my eyes and shuddering at the sensation. No, I couldn't think about it. I couldn't think about how fucked-up my situation really was…what I was forced to endure… I couldn't. I _wouldn't_.

Turning towards my computer, I smiled and began to access some of my files. Get lost in my work, just like I always did. Work seemed to be the only thing that couldn't remind me of my condition. It had no aura, no judgment of me, no eternity hanging over its head. It was something that had to get done, something I needed to focus on. It was something that gave me a little pleasure in my life other than the life sustenance of humans.

It was one of the only things that connected me to my humanity, my past life, as well.

Shrugging, I began to type away feverishly, Uebana Kance, the previous evening, and all my past atrocities falling by the wayside. My human mask was taking over…and I didn't mind it as much as I thought I would.


	3. C3 : My Kind of Fun

_Chapter 3 : My Kind of Fun_

Techno music blared loudly through the concrete walls of the building, indicating that the night party had officially begun. There was a line of people outside the club waiting to get inside and be with the beautiful people, all of them dressed up and ready to be part of the group. I was leaning against the wall in a nearby alleyway, taking in the auras and commotion that was surrounding me. This was a bad part of town, I knew, but it was also a place where my senses could be trained. I always came here for a challenge. It was a self-test to see how far along I had come. Not only because it forced me to focus more on a target should one come along, but the targets that hunted me into this part of town were the ones that were blood-thirsty, unethical, and dangerous.

They were the targets I loved to hunt.

It always amused me how I could await a challenge in the most populated portions of town. You would think that being a creature of the night, one wouldn't need or desire the attention a backyard brawl could bring. Indeed, it was the opposite, almost paradoxical. Once one became part of the night, one learned its tricks and turns. The more crowded an area was, the harder it was to find me. Once the hunter did, they would be craving my blood, and that was when the challenge would begin. Besides, people covered up fights as well as politicians covered up scandals…well, most of the time anyways. I found that if the organization didn't find the body, the homeless would, and they would never report it for fear of being suspected. It was dirty, but weren't all things in the dark?

So now I was taking in the sights, smells, and sounds of the downtown area, reveling in the night's aura. I loved looking at people's auras, sensing the darkness and light in their souls. It made me more of a monster, to be perfectly honest. Those that held light in their souls were amazing to me, while those who held darkness were brutally comical. People's own sins were my amusement. I couldn't help it; I needed to sense auras in order to survive. I learned that lesson rather quickly. In fact, the first time I woke up in my undeath—

_No_. Glaring my eyes, I stared at the wall in front of me and growled. I was _not_ going to think about that. The past distracted me, and I had eternity ahead of me. What was the past but memories that I would eventually forget? It was harsh, but it was reality.

Closing my eyes, I took in a deep breath, listening to the blaring music, the crowd's discussion of how the line was too damn long, and the smells of alcohol and sweat. Opening them back up, I averted my gaze down the alleyway, figuring it would be okay to walk down the sidewalk. No hunter had arrived yet, so hanging around here seemed like a waste of time. Pushing myself off the wall, I turned the corner and started to casually stroll, noticing how the people eyed me fearfully before stepping out of my way.

I was dressed in a trenchcoat this time around, however it was a pitch black trenchcoat with red wings on the back. A red shirt with my usual black pants and boots made me look foolish enough to belong in this part of town, while a pair of sunglasses covered my blood-red eyes. It was a beautiful night to be out; I could feel it in my veins. Taking in another deep breath, I stopped and smiled. A change in auras. Somebody was coming.

Good.

Continuing my stroll, I soon stopped in front of an arcade, taking note of the changes in auras yet again. This person had to be able to sense me, for I felt their presence being much closer. Still not close enough to see, but it was close enough to know they tracked me down. I chuckled and went to leave when I heard a kid shout, "Dammit, that's the last time!" Frowning, I turned and watched as a kid and two of his friends walk out.

"Man, that game absolutely sucked!" the center kid yelled. "Let's go get something to eat. I'm starving!"

"Yeah, the food in there wasn't that great," the second kid complained. I merely watched as they walked away before letting out a sigh. I remember when I went with Mokuba to the arcade. We would spend so much money that we were sure the arcade could survive another month on just the two of us. We rarely went, especially after I took over the company, so when we did it was a big celebration. Those were fun times with Mokuba. His fun now was going to the arcade with his other friends and playing video games. My fun? Ha… My fun was being hunted.

I just stood there, staring at the arcade and all the kids inside. How fucked up was that? That my fun was hunting and being hunted down like the monster I was? I growled for the second time that night and began to move again. It didn't matter how fucked up the situation was; it was what it was, and I was making the best out of it. I couldn't control what had happened. It was out of my league. I had learned to accept the fact that my fun was no longer what humans considered fun. After all, I was no longer part of the human world, at least mentally. Accepting what was the truth was the only thing you could do to make eternity seem a lot more welcoming.

I cleared my thoughts and closed my eyes before taking another turn. And there he was. His aura showed not the usual mixture of powerful light and darkness that the hypocrites who often hunted me had. This man's aura was purely darkness. I smirked, letting a little fang show. This was the type of hunter I enjoyed the most...the ones who had nothing to lose but their own skin.

"I see you have found me," he stated, his deep voice trailing down the alleyway. I took a few steps forward in order to get off the sidewalk before stopping. "I could sense you coming here and decided to wait for you. So, Blood Jewel…" The man took a step forward, and from the lights coming off the nearby store, I could clearly see him. A dark tan, tall, muscular man by the looks of it. Bald wearing sunglasses, a brown trenchcoat with black cargo pants, combat boots, and a tan shirt. A shotgun in each hand. This just made me smile wider.

"Well, you certainly look like more of a challenge than the imbeciles your organization has been sending," I observed. "Did they finally run out of religious fanatics and turn to murderers?"

"Ah, you call me a murderer, but you share the same desires, no?" the hunter countered.

"You and I have nothing in common," I stated. "I am superior to you."

"So we shall see," the hunter said slowly as he placed his shotguns on his shoulders. "But even though you deny it, we both have a love of carnage and war. We are both monsters in our own way. While I don't drink the blood of humans, I still love it when I hear them scream in pain."

"So really I'm doing society a favor by getting rid of you?" I asked, perking my eyebrow. That would be something new.

"Depends on your perspective, really. I guess if you would rather have a blood-thirsty vampire on the loose, then my death would be a good change." I frowned and began to focus my energy into the palm of my hands. "What, tired of talking?" he mocked, tilting his head to the side.

"Not really. I actually like talking to your kind."

"My kind? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"You see, I kill because it shapes my senses. It makes me the monster that I am. You, however…" I felt the silver metal begin forming against my hands and smiled. "You are nothing but somebody who thrives off of other's pain. It does nothing for your senses; it only turns you into a monster."

"So what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that you're a fraud." My guns had completely formed by this point, and I aimed both right at his chest.

"Heheheh… I had heard about your use of black, synthetic blood," the hunter replied. "I didn't know if it was true or not."

"Absolutely," I replied, smirking to hide my surprise. Who knew about my guns? Nobody survived long enough to tell what had happened…

"So how do you want me to kill you? Slice your head off? Stab your heart out and eat it? I would do that you know?"

"What, to make yourself more of a monster?" I chuckled and shook my head. "You're pathetic."

"We'll see!" In an instant, the man lowered his shotguns at me and fired, one shot missing while the other went straight through my arm. I rolled my eyes and fired back at him, both bullets going through his shoulders.

"If you can't hit me just standing here, then you are not the opponent I was hoping for."

"Ha, foolish vampire! You think I was aiming for you?" My eyes widened in surprise, and I quickly turned around to see a shocked man's face staring back at me as he slowly fell to the ground, a large bullet wound in his head. His blood began to ooze across the ground, and I could hear in the distance several people scream. He was attracting attention.

Without even thinking, I jumped up onto the roof of the building to my left and begun to run when I felt another bullet wound, this time in my leg. Biting my lower lip, I turned to see the man stand up, preparing himself after climbing the wall after me. "That's right. Your kind hates the attention of the human world, don't they?"

I could sense the chaos ensuing below us and pushed myself back, jumping across another alleyway and onto the roof of the adjacent building. The man ran forward, shooting his shotguns at me, all of the bullets missing with his pitiful aiming, before jumping the alleyway as well. However, his big build obviously didn't help him in the way of acrobatics, and he barely made the ledge, grabbing the side of the building before pushing himself up. "So much for being a good opponent," I mumbled.

"What did you say?" he shouted, gritting his teeth at me.

"You say that you're a monster," I stated, smirking at him. "You say that we have things in common. Yet we aren't even close."

"What are you preaching about? Of course we're both monsters. We both kill humans for entertainment, don't we?"

I glared menacingly at him. "Though it may be entertaining, I feed off of humans like you in order to survive. My sustenance either comes from my own sources or from those who are too foolish to comprehend the situation. Either way, I don't _kill_ humans. It's killing people in your organization that gives me pleasure, and that's only to ensure that I survive another night. In other words, you get entertainment from hunting, and I receive entertainment by being hunted."

"Yet we're both monsters," the hunter repeated, but I could see the cracks in his confident façade.

"Again, you're wrong." My frown returned to a smirk before I took advantage of the situation, and within a split second I aimed my guns at his knees and shot, hearing him cry out in pain as blood began to soak through his black pants. He fell to the ground of the roof, and I began to slowly walk over to him. "Being a monster implies being above humans, having supernatural abilities, owning a mentality that surpasses all human nature." He began to shiver as I aimed one of my pistols at his forehead, making me chuckle. "You aren't above humanity. You couldn't even jump across the alleyway without having problems. You are below me, and this is proof of your ignorance."

"You're still a monster, one that I'm being paid to kill." He aimed his shotgun at my stomach and fired, making me flinch slightly, yet I showed no pain otherwise.

"Go ahead. Do whatever you think it will take to kill me. I'm sure you're a failure anyway."

"Grrr… Bastard!" Firing his gun two more times, he gasped as a click came next, indicating his empty casing.

"That's right. I am a monster. I am above humans, possessing superiority in mental and physical conditions. And now…now it is time to end your pitiful existence." Willing the energy back into my body, I watched the pistol disintegrate, feeling its force return to my system.

"You…your guns… What are they?" he asked, his eyes wide in horror, his lips quivering like the dog he was.

"Why would I tell you? Your organization's drones are most likely listening in on this conversation now, waiting to pick your dead body up. But now it is time for you to go as the human being you are." Grabbing his shoulder with one hand and his face with the other, I pushed his head aside and quickly bit down into his neck.

His scream in agony was covered by my mouth, and I could feel my blood high immediately come, making me shiver in pleasure. The taste never dulled with blood; it was the same as it was when I first drank it, the sweetness never dying. I could feel his body becoming limp but continued to drink, realizing I hadn't had a good meal in quite some time. The synthetic shit I made really had nothing on the true substance.

It was when his body became extremely heavy that I released my grip on him, letting his now-drained body fall to the floor. Sighing contently, I licked my lips and smiled, letting the blood fill my system. Glancing around, I saw a person begin climbing the roof and smirked. I was correct; the organization was here to pick up their man. But I was on a roll tonight. Why not fuck with them a little? I never hurt the man in charge of picking up the bodies; it was always the same guy, too. He looked like a poor sap, to be honest, and I guess I pitied him enough to not kill him on sight.

But as I went to lean down to pick up the hunter's shotguns, I felt a sudden pain in my side and groaned. Shit…the blood was working its magic. Glancing one last time over at the man, I shrugged and decided leaving the body there would do just fine. Running at a quick pace, I jumped several more buildings before entering a quiet part of Domino. I was now on the outskirts of the downtown area and sighed before slowly sitting down. The blood was healing my wounds from the battle. The wounds themselves didn't hurt, but his bullets must have been powerful, for the process of healing them was taking its toll. Lying down on my back, I closed my eyes and let out a long breath before chuckling. "That was quite fun," I thought aloud, feeling my stomach as the skin began to stitch itself back together. "He wasn't a worthy opponent, but at least he fought back. Not a whole lot, though… The training courses must be horrible wherever this organization is located."

Glancing down at my arm, I rolled my sleeve up and watched as the skin manifested itself back so that not even a hole was left; it looked like a red blotch was now on my arm. I licked the blood away and smiled. His blood had tasted extremely good, but that may be in part because I hadn't drunk from a human in several nights. I truly was a monster…and that man dared to call himself such a thing?!

"_What a worthless waste of life_," I thought, letting my arm fall back to the floor. "_How could he say we had things in common? I do not kill innocents just for the pleasure of torturing them… I merely watch them from afar, noticing the problems and facades each of them carry. They offer me amusement, but I don't kill them. I only kill the ones that are in my way of survival. That's the rule of the night; live to see another one, and destroy all who oppose you. Innocents aren't a threat to me… So why would I bother killing them? Of course, his definition for a monster was a bit off, so I guess he would expect me to do such a thing. He thinks of monsters in the way kids do._"

Frowning, I groaned and slowly sat up. "_Then again, who knows what kinds of lies are implanted into those drones for the organization? They could be told all sorts of things about me that aren't true just to incite hatred in me out of them. People react when they hear of villains who eat children and kill the innocent. But he wasn't innocent either. He was…_"

"Pathetic." I stood up and glanced down at my watch. 2:30 A.M. It was time to head home. My wounds were almost done healing. I should have the energy to go back. But I was covered in blood, and that would attract attention, which was already converging elsewhere by the sounds of things. I knew that man's death would be on the news. I hadn't been seen, however, and that was all that mattered. Still…walking home was probably not the best idea, and a cab driver would never think to take me in. Looking around, I saw the KaibaCorp distance and smiled, figuring it would be a good spot. Walking to the edge of the building, I looked around to see nobody and jumped down, landing on the cement sidewalk, before beginning my short walk to the company.

I grinned. That had actually been a bit of fun.


	4. C4 : An Unexpected Apology

_Chapter 4 : An Unexpected Apology_

Arisa set my cup of "coffee" down on the desk and smiled before saying, "There is nothing new to report other than the meeting with Tsubah has been postponed until next week. The president called late last night and requested a change in schedule because of delays on his part, and he agreed to compensate you for the problems this may cause."

"I see," I replied as I sipped the synthetic juice. Maybe I should change this stuff so that it had the flavor of actual human blood? No, my blood high would be insanely out of control then. Arisa would be dead within a week, and I couldn't have that on my hands. Not only would it be extremely bad on my part, but she was loyal and just to me, and I couldn't do that to her even if I wanted to.

"Is there anything else I can get for you right now, sir?" she asked, her eyes shimmering in the morning light. She was wearing a light blue dress that went down to her knees and had no sleeves, along with a pair of black heels. Her hair was still in two braids that made her look several years younger.

"No thank you," I answered, setting the mug back down and turning to my computer. "I'm going to be working on several reports today, so if anybody calls, you have the right to forward them to me." Usually if people called, I told her to take a message and would later decide whether or not to deal with the problem. But on rare occasions like today, where it seemed like I would have a bit more time on my hands, I gave her a break and dealt with them myself.

"Yes sir." Bowing slightly, she quickly turned and left the room, leaving me in a comfortable silence. Uebana had already left his morning message; the guy from last night had obviously told him that I had been wounded, which must have pleased Uebana to say the least. I would admit that the wounds had surprised me, for hunters usually never made it that far, but it was nothing I couldn't handle. In fact, the bullet wounds for me was like a scratch on a child…save for the fact that I healed in thirty seconds while a scratch could take up to a week.

Taking out a folder, I began to sift through several papers before my phone rang. I rolled my eyes and quickly picked it up. "This is Kaiba," I answered, holding the phone in one hand while sifting with the other.

"Big Brother!" Mokuba exclaimed, making my eyes widen in surprise. "Where were you last night? I woke up, and the butler said you weren't home at all."

"Sorry Mokuba," I replied, setting the folder down on the desk. "I just had something come up last minute and had to stay at work. I really am sorry… I should have called you first."

"Brother… I really worry about your work habits lately. You need to take a break and rest. Seriously."

I just sat there, wondering what on Earth to say. He was right; he was always right. Yet I had to lie to him day-in and day-out just to cover up my identity as a vampire so that I could protect the little kid. I…hated it. "How about I take off work early today to hang out with you?" I asked, sitting up straighter in my chair. "I'm not going to be too busy today, and if anything comes up, I promise to put it on hold."

I heard my little brother gasp and asked, "Are you sure?"

I smiled. "Yes, I'm sure."

"Okay then! What do you want to do?"

"I don't care. You come up with it…although we aren't going to the park like last time. I'm not getting stalked by a bunch of middle-aged women who adore me."

Mokuba chuckled, and even I had to stifle a laugh at the memory. We had gone to the park just to walk around, as Mokuba loved being outdoors and always had, when a group of moms strolling around with their children saw me and began to interrogate me on how such a 'young, handsome man deals with the hardships of life these days'. It was comical now, but at the time it was the most embarrassing moment of my life. Ugh, publicity sucked. I didn't know if that was my vampiric nature or just me being a CEO. "Okay, Seto, I promise no park," he replied, getting me out of my little trance. "I'll see you around….four?"

"Four sounds good," I answered. "See you."

"Bye!" Hearing the phone click, I slowly set the phone back down and let out a sigh. I loved Mokuba with all my heart, and yet… I lied to him just to survive. It made me want to stab myself every time I made up some lousy excuse on why I hadn't slept, why I was working so hard, why I wasn't home on time… It sounded horrible, I knew that. It was so pathetic when you thought about it. I could make appointments all day with employees and potential business partners, yet dinner with my brother was a problem. What…what was wrong with me?

"Um…Mr. Kaiba," a small voice asked as two knocks on the door quickly brought me back to reality. "There's someone here to see you…but I've never seen her before."

"Come in, Arisa," I stated, my eyebrows knitting together in confusion. She quickly came in and shut the door behind her, walking up to the desk before blinking in surprise.

"Mr. Kaiba…are you alright?"

"Yes," I answered, blinking in surprise back at her. "Why do you ask?"

"I just…you look sad."

Sad? "I'm fine, Arisa," I stated, more to myself than her to be honest. "Now who is here to see me?"

"Um…she says that she knows you from a previous Duel Monsters tournament. Ishtar, I think she said her name was."

Ishizu Ishtar. And here I thought I was going to have a relaxing day.

"Did she happen to say why she was here?" I asked, sighing as I leaned back in my chair and looked down at the folder I had abandoned during my conversation with Mokuba.

"She says she has something important to talk to you about. I don't know why, but she also mentioned that it had little if nothing to do with the past, and that she would not lecture you…whatever that means."

I smirked and rolled my eyes. I wanted to say no and be done with it, but I knew Ishizu from past dealings. She was the type of person who would hunt you down until she got the answer, whether you liked it or not. Putting off the discussion would do me no good, and it was better to do it now when I had little work than when I was getting ready for several appointments. Sighing once more, I nodded my head and whispered, "Let her in."

"Okay, sir. And…would you like some more coffee?"

I glanced down at the mug before whispering, "Yes." She slowly picked it up and added, "If you need anything, just let me know," before exiting the office. Arisa was funny. She was like a little sister, I guess; she could always tell how I felt. Sad? Of course I was sad. Did people think I _enjoyed_ lying to my little brother on a regular basis, having to drink blood to survive while dodging both human and vampire businesses and politics? Yeah, that's what was wrong with me. Everything.

Hearing the door open back up, I frowned at the sight of Ishizu Ishtar and waited until she closed the door behind her and walked forward, taking a seat on one of the green couches. "Don't make yourself at home," I warned. "You aren't staying that long."

"I don't intend to, Kaiba," she replied, her thick, Egyptian-accented voice flowing through the air. I growled; this woman bugged me to no end. Not because of her constant chatter on the past, not because of her fucked-up family situation (but then again, who was I to judge on that topic?), and not even because she dragged me into the mess involving her, Yami, and her crazed older brother. It was for one reason that she bugged the living shit out of me.

It was her aura.

I knew what her aura meant, but the fact that she didn't know it had amused me at first. Yet her ignorance of this fact had led to problems. Every time she was in a room with me, her aura drove me insane merely because she hadn't realized her own aura yet. Her aura was purely just and good, one you would think would be around a minister or priest. There was no evil whatsoever. Yet it wasn't her true aura, and I knew that very well. I could sense the discrepancies in her aura, indicating she wasn't ready yet. Even now, I could feel her aura reaching out for me, and I had problems fighting it off. It infuriated me that it didn't work the other way around.

Until she realized her potential, I was stuck in this position. _Shit_.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, noticing my silent composure. I cleared my throat and glared at her.

"I was just wondering what the hell you're doing here at nine in the morning. Don't you have a museum to be taking care of?"

Ishizu gave me a small smile and sighed. "I see you haven't changed in the past three years since the tournament. But you have a good point, and I know you're busy, so I'll be blunt." Biting her lower lip, Ishizu glanced up at me and said, "I need your help locating some information."

I knit my eyebrows together and frowned. "Information?" I repeated. "Isn't a museum supposed to be an archive of information? What are you asking me for?"

"I…" I noticed her shift uncomfortably and blinked in surprise. Something was seriously wrong. This woman was the most stoic, confident person in front of a crowd when she was trying to make a point. Hell, I couldn't even make her break with my signature glare that turned hardcore businessmen into jelly. I didn't need to see the shift in her aura to note that something was bugging her. "I know, but I'm looking for very specific information regarding something that museums don't usually track down."

"Are you researching illegal drugs?" I asked sarcastically, though I noticed my tone hinted a bit of concern. To cover this up, I added, "I don't know why I should help you research something you're afraid to do on your own in the first place."

"It's not that I'm afraid, Kaiba… I just…want to know the truth about something."

The truth? What the hell was this woman looking for? "I'm not going to help someone who can't be straight-forward with me," I stated. "Either tell me what's wrong or leave now. You're wasting my time." Not only was she wasting my time, but her aura was bugging the shit out of me. For some reason or other, it was doing its best to attract my attention, which not only made me uncomfortable, but I was sure she was feeling at least some bit of tension. I watched as she sat up straight and stared me straight in the eyes, making me smirk.

"I first want to apologize to you about three years ago," she began. My eyebrows rose on their own; this woman was actually _apologizing_ for something? Now I knew something was wrong. "I shoved a lot down you and everyone else's throat about Egypt and the pasts each of you held, and I want to apologize to you especially for doing such a thing."

"And why did you take three years to accomplish this task?" I questioned, leaning forward and clasping my hands together on the desk. Maybe if I moved forward a little, her aura would stop annoying me. Besides, I wouldn't admit it to this woman, but she had me intrigued.

"Well…after the tournament, Marik and I did some research on our family in order to help restore our ties that were severed during his 'episode'," Ishizu began, making me groan. This was going to take awhile. "He wanted to study more about our heritage and about Egypt itself. He hoped that by doing this, he could regain his sense of pride in his homeland and make our family proud."

"I hate to interrupt, but I honestly don't care about whether Marik is happy about Egypt or not," I stated coldly. "That doesn't seem to have any relevance to why you're here."

"If you let me finish, Kaiba, I will explain," she retorted, glaring slightly at me. I smirked back at her; that was the Ishizu I knew. The one that was just as determined as me, the one that amused me. I respected her for her ability to stand up to someone like me. "After about three months of research, he came across a very peculiar book in our family library, which is in our home back in Egypt. He sent it to me, asking me to check it out, as he had never heard of the concepts written in it before. He seemed kind of…frightened of it, I guess, so I immediately read through it."

I could see a frown slowly appear on her face and waited for her to continue. "I couldn't believe it when I first read it," she said, her hands fidgeting in her lap. "It discussed things that I didn't even believe in, but if what it said was true, our family was involved in a lot more than simple tomb-keeping. I did several tests on the paper to make sure it wasn't just a hoax, and sure enough it was the true thing." Looking back up at me, she said, "Marik and I need information on this book. It deals with something our family was involved with, and I want to know what it means."

Something her family was involved with? Was she nuts? "So you want to drag me into another one of your stupid family quarrels?" I asked.

"Please, Kaiba," she stated, standing up and walking up to the desk. I backed up against my chair; her aura this close was more than a bit dangerous. Looking up into her eyes, I saw her desire for help. She was begging through her eyes for my support with this. "I need to know if this is true or not. If it is…then my apology towards you will be understood."

Studying her face, I asked slowly, "What is this about? What information are you trying to get?"

She sighed and swallowed before whispering, "My family apparently protected more than the tombs, yet only that knowledge was passed down. If I find out what my family was involved with, it will change my outlook on life forever. I will no longer be just a member of a tomb-keeper family. Please understand, Kaiba, I need help with this. This is more important to me right now than anything else."

The most important thing for me right now was to get her out of here. I didn't know what knowledge she was looking for, but I didn't care. Her aura was becoming extremely powerful, but I couldn't show one hint of weakness. It was driving me insane. "Look, I'm busy right now," I replied, trying to remain calm. "Visit me tomorrow, and we will discuss this matter more." Yes, tomorrow. Just to break the aura's grasp on me for a day would be good enough.

She slowly backed away and nodded. "Does this mean no?"

"It means we will discuss it later. But for now, just tell me this. Why should I be involved with your family once again? Why come to me on this subject?"

Ishizu studied the ground for a moment before glancing back up at me. "Do you want the honest truth?"

"That would be somewhat nice."

"I…I don't know. I just felt like…like I could trust you on this."

It took a lot of willpower to keep my facial expression stoic. Maybe her aura really was affecting her somehow. I smirked and said, "Fine. Whatever. I don't care. Just come by tomorrow, and we'll see whether or not I'll help you out."

She bowed slightly and smiled. "I… Thank you, Kaiba." Walking out of the room, I felt her aura diminish as she closed the door behind her and let out a long sigh. Grasping the mug firmly in my hands, I drank the cup dry and groaned. It had been amusing at first, but it was now to the point of torture. I wanted to know what information she was looking for, but her aura had sucked me dry of energy. But that meant it was only getting stronger…which meant…

I smirked. Maybe I should help her with this information retrieval. Who cared what it was on to begin with? If I could break her aura, I could—

_No_. I didn't need her. I lived night after night without her and any of her kind, and I wasn't going to quit now. Pressing a button on the phone, I heard Arisa's voice ask, "Is something the matter?"

"Bring me that whole mug of coffee," I demanded, letting go of the button. Arisa immediately came in with the entire pitcher and set it down on the table.

"Did her aura get to you sir?" she asked as I poured some into the cup. I wasn't a monster in etiquette, no matter how hungry I was. Most vampires were pictured showing their teeth off, ravishing their kill… Not me. Unless I bit the neck, I drank with etiquette. I wouldn't gush down an entire pitcher of blood just because an aura drained me.

"A bit," was all I said.

"Isn't she a--?"

"That's none of your concern, Arisa," I interrupted, glaring slightly at her. "Thank you for getting me this. You can go back to work now."

"Y-Yes sir," she immediately responded, bowing and leaving the room. I leaned back in my chair and sighed, draining the cup before refilling it, the blood restoring my system.

"Dammit Ishizu," I thought aloud. "You just had to be one, didn't you?"


	5. C5 : My Only Bond

_Chapter 5 : My Only Bond_

I watched Mokuba sip at his root beer and smirked before leaning back into the booth. Mokuba had decided it would be good for us to go out to eat, and though I didn't like it since I was forced to dress down for the occasion, I reminded myself that this was for him. I was now wearing black pants with sneakers and a white, v-neck t-shirt with sunglasses and a black beanie hat. Mokuba wore his usual outfit, but people didn't recognize him as easily as they did me. I was somehow the one who always had to dress differently; he had no problem fitting in with society.

"So how was work today, Big Bro?" he asked, taking another sip of his drink before smiling up at me. How his smile always made my day…did he understand how much I had sacrificed just so he could keep that pure, innocent smile of his? Of course he didn't, and I had worked damn hard to keep it that way too. "Um…Seto?"

Blinking out of my small trance, I shrugged my shoulders and replied, "It was okay, I guess. There was surprisingly little to do since I've been doing so much lately. I was planning on that meeting with Tsubah, but they pushed it back, basically giving me a day off."

"I see." Frowning, I noticed him become slightly uncomfortable and eyed him closer.

"What's wrong?" I asked after a moment of silence passed between us.

"Well, I guess… I know we talk about this a lot, but I think it's seriously becoming a problem." Sighing, Mokuba let go of his root beer and placed his hands in his lap before glancing up at me. "I'm becoming worried about your work habits, Seto."

Biting my bottom lip, I shook my head and stated, "You know there's nothing I can do about that, Mokuba." Actually, there was. If I didn't go out hunting every night, it wouldn't be such a huge problem. I could actually get home in time to tuck Mokuba into bed and be there when he woke up. But with the large group of hunters in Domino, I couldn't risk that.

"Nothing, Seto? You always say that, but are you sure there's _absolutely_ nothing you can do right now that could lighten your workload? You've become really distant these past couple of weeks, and I think it's because of how much work you put on yourself."

"I don't trust anybody in that company, Mokuba, and with good reason," I reminded him, remembering the time the Big 5 kidnapped us. It hadn't been the first time politics were brought into the business world of KaibaCorp, and I had a feeling it wouldn't be the last. "I do it so that I know for sure what is going on. It's the only safe and secure way."

"I know, but… It's just…"

Sighing, I smiled slightly at my brother. "I'll see what I can do, okay?" I whispered, wanting to bite my tongue for saying such a lie. There was nothing I could do; why did I even bother saying that? I was so awful of a brother…constantly making false promises just to keep that innocent smile on his face.

And there it was. That glint in his eyes that held hope. That sparkle of happiness that seemed to emit a radiant glow around him. He was my only bond to the mortal world, and he was basically what kept me from turning into the Damned monster I was. He was the only one that made me feel human emotions, the only one that made me react to a mortal like another mortal. He was basically my salvation, my little brother, and I would do anything to keep that smile on his face, that glint in his eyes. Sure, there was Arisa, but she knew of my condition. She wasn't friendly towards me out of ignorance and love. She was friendly out of respect. Mokuba… He was the only light in my life. I wanted him to be happy…and here I was making false promises to him. The very thought wiped the smile off my own face. I shouldn't be smiling at all about this.

The waitress soon came back holding two plates. One was for Mokuba; it had spaghetti and meatballs with Italian bread on it. He always loved foreign foods, and I encouraged him to at least try the foods that didn't sound quite so appetizing. As for myself, a steak was in order. I hadn't eaten a steak in ages, it seemed. Of course, I hardly ate mortal food, so when I did, I tended to enjoy and savor it more than others. Once she set the plates down and asked if there was anything else she could get us, to which we replied negatively, she walked away to attend to the other customers.

"So I take it nothing exciting happened at work today since you said it was kind of a slow day?" he asked as he began eating his spaghetti.

"I wouldn't say that," I replied, making his eyebrows perk up slightly. "One of our favorite friends stopped by and asked if I could help her out with something."

"'Her'?" Mokuba repeated, swallowing his spaghetti before chuckling. "By the tone of your voice, I'm sure you mean Tea, right?"

"Actually no, although that's a good guess," I commented, smiling slightly again. "It was Ishtar."

"Ishizu? What did she want?"

Taking a bite of my steak, I tasted the juicy tenderness of it and smirked, hiding my inner joy. Vampires could eat mortal food unlike popular folklore stated, and even though it did nothing for me in the way of nourishment, the quality of the food seemed to heighten with my distinct senses. What tasted good to a human tasted heavenly to me. "She asked me to help her retrieve some information?"

"Information? Doesn't she run a museum?"

"That's what I pointed out to her, but when I asked whether or not she had forgotten that slight detail, she insisted that the information was regarding a topic that a museum does not generally research."

"What is researching? Illegal drugs?"

I chuckled, remembering me giving her the same comments. Mokuba was becoming like me… I didn't know whether that was a good or bad thing. Most likely bad. I didn't want him being cynical and depressed like I was, but I didn't want him to be naïve either. Innocence, unfortunately, only lasts so long. "I'm not sure. She was driving me nuts, though, telling me all about how her and Marik supposedly found this family album or something stupid along those lines and wanted to research whatever was in it."

Mokuba's eyebrows knit together in confusion. "She's asking _you_ to help her research her family history? Didn't you guys have a huge debate about that two years ago?"

"Three," I corrected. "And it had been more than a simple debate." That woman had ruined me during my tournament. All I could think about that entire time was that Egyptian nonsense her and Yugi's group had constantly shoved down my throat. In the end I had played along, helping Yami beat Marik, but it still didn't make up for all the time lost listening to her scold and lecture me on a topic I couldn't give a damn less about. "But the kicker is that she apologized to me for it all."

Mokuba blinked in surprise. "What did she apologize for?"

"She said how she felt bad for lecturing me on all that Egyptian crap and wanted to personally apologize to me especially," I continued after taking another bite of my steak. "Supposedly if I help her find this information, her apology will somehow become more meaningful."

"So…are you going to help her out?"

Sighing, I took another bite of my steak and swallowed before shaking my head. "I'm not sure." Mokuba didn't understand everything going on, and I could tell my answer confused him. But he didn't know about her aura or my condition. He didn't realize what her presence did for me…to me.

"Well, if you do, I would ask her what she's researching first," Mokuba stated.

"Of course. If it's on Egypt, she can kiss my ass as far as I'm concerned."

Mokuba chuckled and nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah, you have too much stuff going on right now to be worrying about that."

Nodding, I smiled and watched as Mokuba continued eating his meal before going back to my own. The kid was really growing up; he was becoming intelligent and was able to think for himself. He was responsible and his own person. If I had failed at being an older brother, perhaps I had done a good job at being a father to him.

_A father that breaks his promises every night?_ I sighed, and Mokuba looked up before smiling. "Hey, it's okay," he said, his voice barely above a whisper yet grabbing my attention. "I understand you have a lot of work, and I know that you need to complete it all if we're going to live this luxurious lifestyle we do. I just think you need to worry about your health a little more, is all. You're in your twenties, Seto. You still have a lot of life ahead of you."

What was he talking about? Oh, he must have thought I sighed because of having too much work. I never allowed Mokuba to see my doubt at whether or not I was a good older brother, yet in reality it haunted me day and night. Smiling, I said, "Thanks Mokuba."

"No problem. And ask me if you need me to help on anything. You know I love working at KaibaCorp way more than going to school."

I chuckled and shook my head when both of us frowned as a familiar sound. My cell phone. Who would be calling me this late at night? Okay, so it wasn't late, but still… Surprisingly enough, I rarely received phone calls at night pertaining to work or school. Grabbing it out of my pocket, I looked at the caller ID and frowned even more. I clicked the answer button and held it to my ear. "Kaiba."

"Mr. Kaiba, I'm terribly sorry to call you like this, but I think I found some information you should know about," Arisa stated through the phone, her voice wavering slightly in fear. Mokuba was eyeing me curiously, for I'm sure my facial expression didn't mask my confusion.

"What about?"

"Well, you see Mr. Kaiba, I—"

"Is this going to take long?"

"I… I don't know. Am I interrupting something right now? I'm really sorry if I am, but you told me to call you if this sort of thing were to happen."

Told her? What was going on? "Where are you?"

"At KaibaCorp, sir."

Sighing, I looked over at Mokuba before back at my phone. Arisa wasn't one to waste my time; if she thought it was important and it pertained to me, I would believe her. After all, she would gain nothing from having a false alarm. "I'm eating right now. I'll be there in about a half hour or so."

"Okay, sir. I apologize once again. I'll be sure to have everything ready when you get back." The line went dead, and I shut my phone before placing it back in my pocket.

"Who was that?" Mokuba asked after swallowing the large amount of spaghetti in his mouth.

"Arisa," I answered, looking down and deciding that I would simply take the steak home. "She said there's a problem at KaibaCorp and wanted to inform me about it."

"A problem? Like what?"

Shaking my head, I said, "I'm unsure. It's something that can wait, however. We haven't spent time with each other in awhile, and I'm not letting work get in the way of this."

I watched as Mokuba slowly smiled, his eyes becoming wide in appreciation. "That's what I like to hear from you, Seto," he stated before returning to his meal.

"What do you mean?"

"You need to have a life outside of work, Seto, and that's a big step. I think you believe life is work, but that's not all there is to life. I just…think you need to realize how much you're missing out on because of work. I mean, think about it. You're twenty-one now, yet you've never dated, never hung out with a group of friends… You haven't acted like a teenager ever. I'm just…. When you say those kind of things, it makes me hopeful that you're starting to see a brighter side of life."

I was shocked at how blunt Mokuba was being with me on this subject. Usually he beat around the bush, trying to say what he meant without coming right out and saying it. But now…he was just telling me how it was. He wanted me to know that he felt I wasn't living because of work. The problem with that statement was that it wasn't just work. It was my existence.

His ignorance led him to that conclusion, so I couldn't really blame the kid. He didn't know of my vampiric state, so he believed that all my sacrifices were based on KaibaCorp. Even though that was true on certain things, he didn't know that staying up all hours of the night was simply out of fear of nightmares that came from my vampiric state. He didn't know that I didn't come home because there was blood covering my shirt from a hunter I had just murdered. In his mind, I didn't live because of work. Not out of necessity.

It was what I wanted though, wasn't it? I wanted him to be ignorant of this fact, and now that I thought on it, I was happy about it. He was still innocent in my mind. I had long ago associated his innocence being destroyed as a direct result from him learning about my condition. I knew that once that secret was out, I was done. He would never want to be near me again, and not only that, but he would learn about the true horrors of the world. Nobody, especially my little brother, deserved that. I couldn't let the light of my life see the darkness of this world.

"So are you planning on going into work tomorrow, Seto?" he asked, jerking me out of my trance. I nodded my head.

"I'll be sure to come home tonight, though," I replied. Not to sleep, of course, but just coming home seemed to comfort my brother. "Besides, I have to find out what Ishizu wants me helping her with."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. It's strange, isn't it? I mean, you haven't seen her in how many years, and now she's asking for your help? A little far-fetched, don't you think?"

"Maybe," I replied softly as the waitress came back to our table. "The check and a box," was all I stated, noticing Mokuba finishing the last bites of his meal. The waitress nodded and walked away, returning a minute later with a box and our bill. I handed her my credit card, and she smiled and took the bill and the card away.

"What if you do end up helping her out? What then?"

"Even though that's highly doubtful, if I do help her out, I'm not going to become extremely involved. Marik and she should have the necessary resources for finding out information. I think she just wants to annoy me, personally."

It was either that, or she was starting to solve the puzzle revolving around her aura and talents. I was actually hoping it was the latter since it would get rid of her as a problem, but then…then she would…

"I think she likes you," Mokuba suddenly stated, making me blink and glare at him.

"Highly doubtful."

"Oh, come on Big Brother! You have to admit she's rather good looking, and besides, she has Yugi's entire group of friends to ask help from, but after all these years she comes up and asks _you_! Doesn't that sound a bit fishy?"

"That doesn't mean she's in love with me, Mokuba," I stated. That would be a nightmare in and of itself.

"Uh-huh, suuuure it doesn't." Chuckling, he added, "If she asks you out for dinner tomorrow, you'll know whether or not she likes you."

Mokuba's words ran chills down my spine, though I made sure not to make it apparent. This didn't deal with attraction. This dealt with her need to realize her full potential…and my particular role in that segment. I knew what would eventually have to be done, and foolishly I didn't end it three years ago. But her visit today made me rethink that entire process. If I didn't help her out, she would never know her place. I had heard of her kind of people committing suicide when a nearby vampire hadn't helped them along the way. It was a painful process to be sure, which was why I so shocked when I noticed her uncomfortable posture when she visited me. It meant she was starting to be affected by the situation as well…which meant my role would soon begin. But I didn't want her kind! They were a nuisance to me, and even though other vampires flaunted them, I wanted no part in it.

"Who knows? Maybe you two will fall in love, and she'll be your little angel!" Mokuba joked before bursting out laughing. I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

"Knowing her, she would probably be a guardian more than anything," I stated, more to myself than him. "Always protecting me from everything else. You know how overly-protective and passionate she was about her brother."

"Aww, Seto has a lover as his bodyguard!" Mokuba stated before leaning forward, wrapping his arms around his waist from the pain of laughing so hard. If only he knew how much truth rang in that statement.

"Yeah…right," was all I said before the waitress came back with the check.

"Sorry that took so long," she said, handing me the receipt to sign. I quickly signed it and grabbed my box as she left, glancing down at Mokuba, who was still laughing his head off.

"Are you ready?" I asked, a hint of annoyance in my voice.

"Y-Yeah," he said, trying to calm himself down as he stood up. "You know I'm just kidding though. To be perfectly honest, no matter how much good I think it would do you, Ishizu definitely isn't your type."

"Thanks," I replied sarcastically. "I'm glad you noticed."

Chuckling he said, "No problem."

She may never be my lover, but with the way her aura was reacting to me…guardian might not be so far away. But onto more business matters. As Mokuba and I walked out the door, I checked my phone to see that Arisa had left a message. I must not have noticed it, for I opened it up to read:

_I didn't want to say this out loud on the phone, but the reason I called was because of your…condition._

My condition? Mokuba and I quickly got in the car, me in the driver seat and him in the back, before revving the car up and speeding down the road. What was going on that dealt with my condition? Why would she call me? Was it Uebana…or something else?

"So you're going back to KaibaCorp?" Mokuba questioned, leaning forward slightly to talk to me.

"Yeah," I replied. "I shouldn't be too late, but if I am, I won't wake you up when I come home." Looking down at the clock to read 8:45, I said, "I'll try to be home by ten. Maybe we can play some video games or something."

"Really?!" he exclaimed, making me chuckle.

"Really." The ride soon became silent, Mokuba listening to the radio while I focused on the road. Glancing back in the rear view mirror, I saw him smiling out the window, looking at all the buildings and shops that we passed.

Anything to keep that innocent smile on his face… I would never let the true darkness of society infect my only bond to the mortal world.


	6. C6 : Researchers

_Chapter 6 : Researchers_

"I apologize for this, Mr. Kaiba," Arisa quickly stated as I entered my office and tossed my trenchcoat onto the nearby couch, "but when I noticed this during my last check, I figured it would be good to show you as soon as possible."

Noticing the papers in her hands, I walked toward her and took the papers, sitting down in my chair before setting them on the center of the desk. "When did you do this check?" I questioned as my eyes scanned the paper. What the hell did this mean?

"Around five thirty," she answered. "I printed it out and waited until seven to do another check, noticing another rise and printing that out as well. The paper you're looking at now was from five thirty; the one beneath it is from seven. I did a scan of everything you ordered me to check and printed that out as well, even if there wasn't anything unusual in those stats."

I slowly picked the top paper up and read through it, glaring slightly at the data shown. Being the Blood Jewel in these times was a dangerous thing, not just because of the advanced weaponry the hunters had but because of the attention and ways of getting it. The internet was heaven for me during the day at work; it was my worst nightmare at night. If I made one screw-up, it would be all over the internet within a week, and I would be hunted by every organization, religious or otherwise. Death would come before I even had a chance to explain myself to the ignorant public, and before it swooped down to end my unlife, I would be answering to my brother, my company, and everyone who ever knew my name. So, being intelligent, I took action against this.

Arisa's job on the outside was being my personal secretary, which she was good at. What she was better at was collecting data…and that included hacking and other illegal ways. Taking this into consideration, along with her knowledge of the vampiric world, I hired her to monitor online searches, websites, and anything that may relate to the vampiric world. Most of it was pointless fanfiction, shows, movies, novels, and even several churches based on 'vampire doctrine'. This was all thrown out as rubbish…and what was left was a sea of underground vampire societies, vampire hunter organizations, and anything else that only a true hacker would even be able to track let alone enter. One particular website I kept track of was an archive of actual files, books, diaries, and documents based on past Blood Jewels. I located the owner of this website and made sure he knew I was keeping tabs on him, and his excuse didn't help to clear things up. I don't know why he created the website, but as long as only he and I had access to it, things were fine.

Along with being a secretary, Arisa's second job was to keep an eye on all of these underground websites, making sure not more than the usual amount of visitors paid attention to them. Whenever a sudden spike of visitors hit a specific website, I would get a hold of the owner and discuss what was going on. Some websites I have gone so far as to shut down because too many people were reading it. I had to be that way… Paranoia was only paranoia when it was false. The threat of knowledge to the ignorant public was real.

And now, given from what the paper read, someone was trying to access the archive website. Only a good hacker could have even found it, and it showed the user entering it _58 times_. Looking at the links searched through, I found that only three links had been clicked on, yet all were checked at different times more than once, amounting to a staggering total. I set the paper down and looked at the other paper. It was only this particular website, and the total an hour and a half later was 62 times. No other website saw a jump in visitors like this.

What did this mean? Was someone trying to gain access to information on the past Blood Jewels? Why would they? Only someone who knew of my existence, the existence of vampires in general, or the existence of the Blood Jewel would be interested, and I worked damn hard to make sure those were extremely few and far between. So what the hell did this mean? The only person who really knew of my existence was Uebana, but…why would he want this information?

"You look like you could use some," Arisa suddenly said. I quickly glanced up and let a small smile grace my lips as she set a cup of blood down on the desk. "I know you don't like to sleep, but you look like you were just hit by a truck."

"Well, this information doesn't sit very well with me," I admitted, taking the cup in my hands and sipping the synthetic goodness. "I wasn't expecting something like this, and I thank you for calling me."

"I understand, but I meant that you look just tired out. Physically, not mentally."

Frowning at this, I asked, "How do I look tired?"

"Maybe it's because you haven't drunk your blood yet, but there are some bags under your eyes. I don't know…you just look exhausted."

"You always know how I feel," I whispered. She smiled and merely shrugged her shoulders.

"It's just something you pick up when you hang around someone all the time."

"So I see…"

"But what do you think this means?" she asked, nodding in the direction of the papers on my desk. I sipped more of the blood and set the cup down before leaning back in my chair.

"It means someone knows too much information," I stated. "Obviously someone wants information on past Blood Jewels. The only problems are that we don't know who or why they're doing it."

"Would it be someone looking for you? Are they trying to track the title down to who is currently holding it?"

"Perhaps, though I don't think that's quite it. I think this person is more doing…research. Not for a killing, either. Just…research."

"Well maybe it's—" Arisa was cut off by a sudden ringing, and I frowned before reaching out and picking up the phone.

"This is Kaiba," I answered, using my cold tone. Now who the fuck was calling me?

"Ah, Mr. Kaiba, am I interrupting anything important right now?" a mocking voice questioned, making me growl.

"Uebana, what the fuck do you want? It's a little early to be calling me, isn't it? I haven't killed any of your soldiers yet, and you're already annoying me with your useless phone call."

"Well, if that wasn't rude, I don't know what is," he countered. "I was just wondering why you weren't out tonight. None of my soldiers seem to be able to track you right now… I was honestly worried you had died on me. That wouldn't be fun at all."

"I would never just die on you, Uebana. And just because I'm not out for one lousy night doesn't mean you can stalk me. Didn't you just tell me that you were lowering the watch anyways? Being a little hypocritical, aren't you?"

"Not at all. I was just curious to see what you were doing. I now know you are at work and can send my soldiers your way."

"Sorry, but I'm actually not in the mood to bash a person's skull in. In fact, your phone call may not be all that useless."

"Oh, am I hearing a hint of politeness in Mr. Kaiba's voice? What special occasion calls for this sudden change?"

I growled a second time and tightened my grip on the phone. I felt my fangs beginning to form and decided to let it go. "I want to know what the fuck you're doing researching past Blood Jewels." It had to be him; he was the only one I knew that was aware of my condition.

"Research? What on Earth are you talking about?"

"Don't play fucken stupid with me. I know you're conducting research on past Blood Jewels. I have the papers right in front of me."

"I honestly don't know what you're rambling on about. I know everything about the past Blood Jewels; why would I have to research them even more? I'm afraid your information may be a little off."

My eyes narrowed at this. If it wasn't him…who was it? "Do you have any idea who this would be? It would be good of you to tell me if you know; this knowledge is just as vital to you as it is to me. If they find out about the Blood Jewel, then they know all vampires linked to it. God forbid anything would happen to you."

"You just are the poster-boy for sarcasm, aren't you? But no, I don't know who would be conducting such research. Perhaps a rabid wannabe-vampire is doing some research. You know how Goth kids are these days, thinking our state of being is something to treasure. Or maybe a lost Knight is researching for his or her personal needs?"

A lost Knight? Oh fuck…

"That's all I can come up with. I don't like helping you out, but I see your reasoning. I can't let anybody know of what should be mine."

I wanted to react to his comment, but I couldn't. A lost Knight…a Knight…

"Mr. Kaiba?"

"Well, you still aren't the Blood Jewel, and you shouldn't count on _ever_ being in such a high position. Thank you for the information, and now I'm going to hang up and hope that none of your fucking lackeys come and attack me. I think we both need a night off."

"We shall see, Mr. Kaiba. We shall see. Other than that, happy to help you. Good evening." Slamming the phone down, I groaned and slowly grabbed my cup. Vampire politics were the worst. It was a hypocritical game of survival. On one hand, we fought each other for power, status, and wealth. On the other hand, we huddled together like orphans out of fear of unwanted attention and the idea of our existence being discovered by the general population. It made no sense…but it was the way it worked.

Feeling a hand on my shoulder, I rolled my head over and closed my eyes. "See, you are tired, aren't you?" Arisa asked, leaning forward and smiling at me, her face merely inches away from mine.

"Maybe…"

"'Maybe'? Maybe you're full of shit."

I chuckled and shook my head. "Whatever. No matter how tired I get, I will never sleep."

"Was that Uebana Kance?"

"Yes."

"And what did he say about the research?"

"He claims he knows absolutely nothing about what I told him. I don't want to believe what he concluded, but I have a feeling he's correct."

"Who did he say it was then?"

_A lost Knight…_ Shaking my head, I let out a long sigh. "Let me just call the owner of the website to get the name of this person. I told him he has to record everybody who enters his website. He knows how underground it is; he better fucking know who is hacking into it." Grasping the phone once more, I began dialing the number. "I'll give the information to you tomorrow so that you can research who this person is. You're free to go if you want. It's rather late now…" Placing the phone to my ear, I waited patiently as it began connecting.

Instead of walking out, she shook her head, sat down on the edge of the desk, and smiled down at me. "It's okay. I'll stay."

Frowning, I went to say something when I heard the line go through. "Hello, who is this?" a rather tired, male voice asked.

"This is Seto Kaiba," I answered coldly.

"M-M-Mr. Kaiba?" he asked, his voice going up an octave in fear, making me chuckle. "H-How are you doing, Mr.—"

"I didn't call you for small talk," I interrupted. "I have several reports sitting in front of me right now that read a new viewer has been accessing your website at an alarming rate. You know I have the power to shut it down if I see fit, and right now I'm feeling the urge to do so unless you tell me who the hell this person is."

"J-J-Just a second, Mr. Kaiba," the man replied, and I could hear him running around over the phone. "L-Let me log on and check. I didn't pick up on anyone, so it must have been a hacker."

"No shit," I countered. "I would never have allowed your website to run publically, you fool. Now get me that name."

"Y-Yes sir." I heard the sound of typing in the background and pinched the bridge of my nose. People were really so stupid these days. If he couldn't come up with the screen name in the next ten minutes, I concluded, I would shut down his website. It was just too dangerous; I probably should have shut it down in the first place. But there was so much involved with that, including legal terms and other nonsense I just didn't have time for these nights. "I'm tracing the screen name now, Sir, and I see the staggering number. It should have read on my computer, however, so I will be sure to update the system so that this never happens again."

"Be sure that it doesn't. If _anyone_ finds out about the Blood Jewel, I'm holding you personally responsible."

"I understand, Sir. And…. Here it is!" In one quick second, I grabbed a pen and piece of paper, prepared to write the name down. "The screen name is…quite an odd one. It reads WhitexSandxArtifactsdcm. It says that they accessed the website—"

"—62 times, I know," I interrupted once more, writing the name of the e-mail address down. Who would be stupid enough to hack into a system using their e-mail address? _A lost Knight…_

"Actually, you must be looking at the seven thirty report. The last time it was accessed was 8:10, and that made a total of 69 times. Whoever this person is, they obviously want information."

"And information is what they _aren't _going to get, isn't that right?"

"T-That's right, Sir. I'll make sure to upgrade the system right now. I promise this will never happen again."

"Be sure that it doesn't, lest you want the wrath of the current Blood Jewel on your hands." Placing the phone back in its holder, I looked down at the screen name and frowned. This was too easy…but I almost didn't want it to be this easy. I had to face this, but…

"See, you're tired," Arisa suddenly stated, and I looked up to see her still smiling down at me. "Get some rest, Mr. Kaiba. It would seriously do you some good."

Sleep? Sleep never did me any good. It got be beaten under Gozaburo's 'protection', it made me get behind in work as a human, and now….it just brought back too many things as a vampire. "I'll think about it..." was all I said before standing up and handing her the screen name. "This is your first priority tomorrow morning. Figure out who the hell this person is, where they're located, anything at all."

"Yes sir," she answered, taking the slip of paper from my hand and turning to walk out of my office. I slowly followed behind her, grabbing my trenchcoat and putting it on, before I felt her hand gently touch my arm. I blinked in surprise.

"What's wrong?"

"Mr. Kaiba… What if this is that woman who came earlier?"

My eyes slowly trailed from her to the ground, not knowing what to say. "I… I don't know what I'll do," I answered. I didn't need that responsibility. Of course, Ishizu was a responsible woman in her own right, but I didn't need her kind. I didn't want her kind. I…

_A lost Knight._

Maybe… But a Knight was the last thing I needed right now. Arisa's hand left my arm, and she said, "Please, Mr. Kaiba… Please get some rest." Turning, she quickly left my office and closed the door behind her, leaving me in the silence of the room. I merely stood there, my hand brushing the area she had touched me absentmindedly, before I fell on my knees and closed my eyes. She was right. I needed rest. This synthetic coffee wasn't cutting it anymore. But I… I didn't want to see that.

Growling at my weakness, I punched the floor of my office and quickly stood up. One night of rest was all I needed, maybe not even that. A few hours would do just fine. I've lived through worse. I walked out of my office, slammed the door behind me before locking it, and walked towards the elevator.


	7. C7 : Agreement

_Chapter 7 : Agreement  
_

_The room seemed small… The air was almost too thick to breathe in, but maybe that was because I was breathing too fast. Opening my eyes, all I could see was darkness. Not even the normal darkness that kids are afraid of… It was the darkness that everyone was afraid of. The one that knew no limits, that acted as a shield to the real monsters of the world. _

_My breathing quickened. I couldn't focus on anything; there was nothing to focus on. Where was I? What happened? Was I still sleeping, and this was just some weird dream? What was going on?_

_And then, a door opened. Bright light entered the room, but I couldn't look up. My hands and legs were pinned down to something. A bed, perhaps? Or maybe a table. I wasn't sure. I was scared. I began to panic, pulling at my arms and legs, and tried to look up and see who it was that was at the doorway. My mind was racing a mile a minute. Who would do this to me? Was this a joke? What was happening? _

_Two faces soon appeared above me. One was of a person who I had never seen before. The other…was him. I stopped my motions and merely glared up at him, but my heart was still beating as though it would fly out of my chest. I wouldn't let him see the fear in my eyes, but I knew it was fear that was consuming my mind and body. Still, I couldn't let him win. Everything was a game with him._

_Until, that is, he opened his mouth…and my eyes widened at the sight of two fangs…_

Bolting upright in bed, I whimpered and put my hands on my face, wiping away the tears that were falling heavily down my cheeks. My body was covered in sweat, and the sheets were so disorganized that it was a wonder I was still partially covered. I was shaking uncontrollably. I needed to calm myself down, and the best thing for that was all the way over at work.

Dammit…this was why I didn't like sleeping. I didn't even call it sleep anymore. Sleep was designed to make you feel refreshed when you woke up. Every time I woke up, I felt worse than before.

Okay, so maybe that was a lie. I actually did feel a bit better physically; the strength I somehow managed to accumulate in my sleep was now coursing through my body. Sleep only drained me mentally…but it did a damn good job of doing so. Slowly crawling out of bed, I groaned as the sunlight hit my eyes and collapsed back down. Even though my energy had returned, I couldn't feel its effects yet. The nightmare was still too vivid in my mind and made my whole body shake. I decided a bath was in order. I couldn't go to work in this condition; nervous wrecks don't generally make good CEOs. My breathing still hadn't calmed itself down, and I could feel new sweat drops falling down my face. At least I wasn't crying anymore.

Reaching over to my night stand, I picked up my cell phone, dialed Arisa's number, told her I would be coming in late, hung up, and pushed myself up. Even though my body was shaking, I made myself get out of bed, having to hold onto the night stand in order to do so. My legs didn't want to take me to my private bathroom, but thinking of that hot bath awaiting me pushed me to take the steps needed to reach my destination. It was only when I reached the edge of the bathtub that my legs gave out, and I leaned against the edge of the tub as I turned the hot water on, watching it slowly fill up with blurry eyes.

This wasn't worth it… It just wasn't worth the physical strength I got from those five hours of sleep.

* * *

Reaching the top floor, I heard the elevator click, pushed myself off the metal wall, grasped my briefcase firmly, and walked through the main lobby. Arisa was typing away feverishly on the keyboard when she looked up and smiled at me. "Good morning, Mr. Kaiba," she greeted, quickly standing up and holding out a piece of paper. "I gathered all the information on this White Sand person and compiled it here. It was actually quite simple; this person doesn't know how to cover their tracks at all."

Smirking, I nodded my head in appreciation, took the paper from her, and said, "I'm going to need a full pitcher of that stuff today. I had a bad night."

"Yes sir." Bowing slightly as she always did, she quickly left into the adjacent room, most likely to get my synthetic blood. I shook my head and unlocked the double doors, shutting them behind me once I had entered my office and strolling over to my desk. I set my briefcase down and sat in my office chair before turning my computer on. Looking down at the paper Arisa typed for me, I groaned in recognition at the name of the profile written down.

Marik Ishtar. The fucker that had gone and nearly ruined my competition (I gave that credit to Yugi and his companion Yami). Everything I had asked for was written down plus extra, including his family background and current occupation, which was apparently a helper at his sister's museum. Obviously Arisa didn't know I knew this asshole, but I didn't expect her to. I was just happy for the report.

I closed my eyes and let out a sigh, my mind racing with questions. If it was really Marik's e-mail, then did that mean Ishizu knew nothing of her condition? Was it really back to square one? What was Marik doing researching the Blood Jewels? My head began aching, and I groaned as I crossed my arms on my desk and set my head down. This was not going to be a good day. I guess waking up should have been my first clue.

What did this mean? Ishizu was the one that should be researching this shit, not Marik. Was Marik aware of his sister's condition, or was he affected as well? God, that would be the icing on the fucken cake for me, wouldn't it? She said that they were researching a family issue…did that mean a previous Blood Jewel was involved with their family history?

I nearly jumped after a minute or so went by as I felt two hands begin massaging my shoulders. Arisa chuckled and whispered, "Just relax. You look so stressed out right now…" Deciding to just let it go, I set my head back down and moaned softly as she began massaging the knots out of my shoulder. For such a graceful girl, she sure had some force behind her. "Did you get some rest last night?" she asked, her voice still barely above a whisper.

"Yeah… That's why I feel like shit." Twitching my head to the side, I heard my neck crack and smiled. Christ, did that feel good.

"How does sleep make you feel worse?" she questioned, leaning forward and frowning at me.

My eyes widened in surprise; had I never told her about that? I rarely kept things dealing with my vampiric state away from her. She deserved to hear everything that went on when it came to my state of being, for she took care of me without even my asking, and I respected her fully for that. I guess, however, since she never asked until now, I never thought to tell her. "I… When a vampire sleeps, they generally dream of the time they were turned into a vampire," I explained, feeling her hands work slightly lower down my back. "While most vampires had a pleasant experience turning into one, I didn't. So when I sleep… I see things I'd rather not see again."

Feeling her hands stop, I slowly sat up and felt my entire back crack, relieving nearly all the pressure. I sighed in content and went to thank her when she whispered, "I apologize."

I frowned up at her and asked, "Why are you apologizing?"

"I was the one who told you to get some rest last night. If I had known what you see when you sleep… If I had known you would wake up like this…"

I chuckled and shook my head. "Arisa, it's not your fault. I didn't have to sleep. In the end, it was my decision to do so, even if I knew the consequences. So don't blame yourself for my actions, alright?"

I watched as a small smile formed on her face, and she reached out and held her hand in front of my face. "I take it the normal synthetic stuff is probably not going to work in your condition right now," she stated, and I looked in confusion at her wrist. "Please…even if it wasn't my fault, I can tell you're still really exhausted. Who knows if the synthetic blood will do the job? So…take mine instead."

My eyes widened in shock. "No, Arisa," I replied coldly, quickly pushing her hand back. "I could never do that to you."

"B-But you said that humans can't turn into a vampire unless you use a special technique first! I don't know what that is, but I know you wouldn't use that on me, right? I want to help you, Mr. Kaiba. So please…" She slowly reached out again, and I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat. I could sense her blood flowing, that delicious juice, but I had promised myself to _never_ lay a finger on her. Her hand was now directly in front of my mouth, and with shaking hands I grabbed her wrist, meaning to push her away like last time. Instead, I now felt her blood coursing inside her, making my fangs drop on their own. _N-No…_ I couldn't do this. Why did she want me to drink her own blood? It…didn't make sense. I tried pushing her wrist away, but it almost felt like her blood was calling out to me. Was it…or was it my own urges?

A sudden knock at the door made the two of us jump, and I quickly let go of her wrist. "I-I'm sorry," I whispered, placing my head in my hand and closing my eyes, willing my urge to suck her fucking dry away. I felt her hand gently caress my cheek, and my hands began to shake even more. "A-Answer the door." My voice was even shaking, and my voice _never_ shook with emotion, except perhaps hatred at times. I was really out of it today.

I heard Arisa open the door and slowly shook my head. God, I had almost fucking tainted her. I always promised myself not to lose my conscious around her. I would never give in and drink her…and now I almost had. Was it my lack of will today, carrying over from the previous evening? I didn't know anymore. Why was I suddenly so weak?

"Mr. Kaiba," she said in a small voice, walking back up my desk. I opened my eyes and glanced up at her. "It's Miss Ishtar. She said she told you yesterday that she would come by today."

_Fuck!_ I did not need this! Growling in irritation, I nodded my head and said, "Let her in." Hearing Arisa move again, I leaned back in my chair and let out a long sigh when I saw her place the cup of synthetic blood in the center of the desk. She mouthed 'I'm sorry' to me before quickly turning and walking back to the double doors. "He will see you now."

Draining the cup of its contents, I felt the blood begin working its magic and slowly smiled. Yes… I needed this right now. Any sort of blood would work, synthetic or otherwise. I just needed the strength and energy I gained from drinking this stuff. I was a monster in need of food so that I could function.

And just as quickly as I gained it, it seemed to be stripped away, for in walked Ishizu Ishtar, surprisingly wearing a different outfit: a black skirt that went down to her knees, a white, button-up shirt, black heels, and several golden bracelets. I knew talking to her would be difficult, but it was something that had to be done. After all, if the paper in front of me was telling the truth—

Shit. I quickly put the paper away in the top drawer of my desk, hoping she hadn't noticed. If she knew I knew about her research…well, more specifically, her brother's research, she may become suspicious. That would not lead to anything good.

"Good morning, Kaiba," she greeted, sitting down on the same couch she had the previous day. She seemed to be her normal, confident self, though I couldn't imagine why.

"What do you need, Ishizu?" I asked, pouring myself another cup of coffee. Leaning back in my chair, I sipped the synthetic juice and stared at the woman in front of me.

"I need your answer," she replied. "I want to know whether you'll help me and my brother collect the information we're looking for."

"Well, I have to say Ishizu, that your previous visit did not impress me at all." Good. My voice was beginning to return to its cold, normal state. I couldn't have her knowing how weak I felt. That would just give her an opening, and I had a feeling that's exactly what she was looking for. "You vaguely explained your situation to me, and from what you did explain it sounds like it has absolutely nothing to do me. So I'll give you one chance to try and convince me that I should help you."

"I told you, Kaiba, I don't know why I'm asking you to help me out with this," she answered, shaking her head before returning her gaze to me. "Marik and I went through the list, and for some reason your name stuck with me. I just had a feeling you would help me…maybe it was wrong."

"Obviously."

"But Kaiba… I need information that I think only you can get. You're a hacker, aren't you? You're good at getting into places that you normally can't get into."

Hacking… So she _did_ know about her brother's behavior. "And why on Earth, Ishizu, would you want a hacker on your side? You do realize that hacking is considered illegal, do you?"

"I know, but Marik and I need this information. We're willing to do whatever it takes to get it, illegal or otherwise."

Her blunt remark made me reconsider my outlook. I wasn't going to help her at first, but this woman was more than desperate. Draining my cup once more, I refilled it a second time and began sipping it again when she chuckled at me. "What?" I asked, glaring at her.

"I have always heard that you couldn't live without coffee, but I didn't know it was true."

She had no idea how true it was. "I don't think this is a good time for you to be making fun of me for my ways. Now either tell me what the hell you're looking for or get out. You're wasting my time."

Letting out a sigh, Ishizu shook her head and said, "I told you; Marik and I want family information. It's just—"

"Then why are you requiring a hacker if you want that sort of simple information?"

At this, Ishizu bit her lower lip and whispered, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

So there it was. I knew it was dealing with the Blood Jewel. She knew about my feelings towards her magic and Egyptian past. Whether that was true or not, I wasn't sure, but then again, after becoming the Blood Jewel, I believed just about anything. I just pretended not to in order to make people perceive me differently. It worked wonders. "Whatever. I'm not helping you unless you thoroughly convince me to do so."

And then, she did something that scared the living shit out of me. Within the matter of a few seconds, she jumped off the couch, ran around the desk, and embraced me, tears flowing freely down her face. I dropped my cup of coffee on the floor, hearing the glass shatter, but that was my least concern. Her aura this close was ungodly. It was reaching out to me so badly that I couldn't help but gasp in surprise. It was so strong…stronger that yesterday? Impossible; it had to be the proximity.

"P-Please, Kaiba," she choked out between sobs. "I don't know why, but I need you to help me out with this. I just _feel_ like you're the one who can help me with this. I'm sorry, but you're the only one that can help me with this."

Letting her words sink in, I slowly pushed her back and looked into her eyes. Sure enough, there was a glint of red in them. Her aura was trying to break on its own, and it was now destroying her. The idea that it occurred in the matter of a few seconds scared me. I stood up and placed my hands on her shoulders, staring intently into her eyes. "Alright, I'll help you out," I stated, trying my best to ignore her aura. I didn't even care if my fangs were showing, my eyes were red…and I don't think she was paying enough attention to notice anyway.

"Y-You will?!" she exclaimed, smiling widely and wrapping her arms around me once again. "I-I'm sorry for this, but I just think we need your help. Thank you so much!"

Releasing her grip on me, she straightened her shirt out and blushed. "I'll leave you to your work now, but if you could, please stop by the museum later tonight so that we can discuss the information I need. I promise to be straight-forward with you then. Until tonight, I… Just know how grateful I am to have you helping." She smiled and embraced me one more time before turning around and leaving the office. I just stood there, my hand gripping the edge of the desk, as I stared a hole into the floor. I had just accepted her offer, basically accepting her as my responsibility. But her aura… I could never just ignore that. It was unbearable, especially that close. I had to end this. I would take her under my wing just to end this nightmare. Besides, if her aura could make her do that within a few seconds' time, it meant that she was somewhat suffering as well. Both parties were getting hurt at this point. I had to end it. Even if…even if…

"M-Mr. Kaiba?!" a sudden voice exclaimed, making me look up to see Arisa standing in shock at the doorway. "A-Are you alright, Sir? You…your fangs are really showing." Placing my finger against my teeth, I blinked in surprise at the fact that my teeth were fully exposed. Yet willing them away was futile, and so I merely closed my eyes and shook my head. "D-Do you need more—"

"Please, Arisa," I interrupted, sensing her sudden terror. She was genuinely concerned for me… I could feel her worry. "I will clean this up myself. Please, just go back to your desk and let me handle this right now."

"I… I'm sorry, Mr. Kaiba." Slowly she walked out and shut the door behind her, leaving me in the room by myself. How had things gotten out of hand so quickly? How?!

Slumping back down in my chair, I turned and looked down to see the broken glass. I knelt down out of the chair and slowly began picking up the shards, not worrying about the cuts I received from it. I don't even remember throwing the shards away, or sitting back down to work, or even beginning the report that I had started when I eventually came to. All I could think about for the rest of the morning was Ishizu's reaction.

She was a lost Knight…and I was the Blood Jewel.

What was I going to do?


	8. C8 : Learning What You Know

_Chapter 8 : Learning What You Know_

"Thank you so much for coming tonight, Mr. Kaiba," Ishizu greeted as I walked through the glass double doors and into the museum. I could already sense her aura, but it was much duller than it had been during our encounter at KaibaCorp, which I was very happy about. It was very unlikely to happen, but if it kept at this low of a level, tonight might actually go rather smoothly.

But when did that ever happen in my world?

"I'll show you all the information I currently have on what we're looking for," Ishizu began explaining as she turned and walked down one of the many aisles in her museum. I slowly followed behind her, ignoring the elaborate displays she had on the walls. Last time I was here, she had sent me into the past and shown me my supposed past self. I didn't know whether the man I saw was a figment of my imagination or not, but it had startled me to say the least. Being a vampire, I didn't know how I would react to that kind of magic. Luckily I acted the same way as a normal human would, but then again, if she had learned about my secret earlier, we wouldn't be in this mess, now would we?

"Are you okay?" she suddenly asked, and I stopped and blinked in surprise when I noticed that she was a lot closer than I remembered. "You seem kind of…dazed, and I know you aren't that type of person."

I chuckled and quickly shook my head. "I'm fine, Ishizu," I replied in my normal tone of voice.

"Well, here we are," she stated, and she opened the door to her right and walked inside. I read on the window **Ishizu Ishtar: Curator and Owner** before walking in to see a medium-sized office. It was very stereotypical; a desk and computer in the middle, two chairs in front of it, a couch on the right wall, and a bookshelf on the left wall. One window was behind her desk, and I watched as she sat down and began opening drawers, pulling out almost haphazardly different folders. I closed the door behind me and set my briefcase down next to the chair as I sat down and let out a sigh. There were still no random readings from her aura. Good. I hoped to find out as much as possible on what she understood of this situation before leaving. I needed to know what she knew first. Only then would I know what I was truly dealing with.

"We don't have a whole lot, I'm afraid, currently going for us," Ishizu began as she leaned forward and handed me a folder. I opened it up to see a family hierarchy, starting with a supposed tomb-keeper and priest named Ahmose. God, she really was hardcore when it came to family matters if she had records dating from this far back. "That's how this all began. We noticed that there was a familiar pattern with our family hierarchy. As you can see, we took some special oils in order to clean these old papers up. What was revealed is underneath the person's occupation."

I could see the white writing beneath the general black and blinked in surprise. Next to almost all the male names was the occupation "Jewel protector." Jewel… Blood Jewel? Was this a family tradition for her, to protect the local Blood Jewel? I didn't even realize that there was a Blood Jewel back then. I guess vampires have truly been around since the beginning of time, or at least as far back as civilizations are concerned.

"We don't really know what that means, 'Jewel Protector'," Ishizu stated, eyeing him curiously. "Marik has been trying to gather some information on this, but so far we've found very little. The problem is that we disagree on what this really means." My eyebrows knit together in confusion as I looked over the paper to see her frowning at me. "He thinks it's a person, and I believe it's an object."

My eyes widened in surprise at this. She didn't even know the Jewel related to an actual individual? Did she just think this was a diamond that her ancestors were forced to look after and clean every so often? This was bad…the more ignorant she was, the harder this transformation was going to be. Still, I wanted to know what all she had and wouldn't say anything until I got everything. "Why does your brother think it's a person?" I asked, glancing back at her family hierarchy.

"He's…done some of his own hacking even though I asked him not to," she hesitantly answered. "He found several websites that supposedly related to the Blood Jewel, but I have yet to see these. He printed some information out, however, that relate to our issue, and I have to admit that he's starting to persuade me. Do you want to see these documents?"

"Yes please." She slowly opened another manila folder and handed it to me, and I smirked at the list of names. They were all previous Blood Jewels, leading up to nearly 200 years ago. I recognized a few of the names but on the whole didn't know who these people were. I never studied my own lineage, concerning myself with survival, so this was just as good for me as it was for her. Maybe having Ishizu by my side would be a profitable ordeal after all.

"He claims this is a list of previous Blood Jewels," she stated as she leaned back in her chair. "Like I said, I have yet to see his sources, but I know Marik, and he's good at retrieving information."

I stared at the information, wondering how on Earth Marik knew any of this. Did he honestly know what was going on, or was it all just a lucky guess for him? I wanted to think the latter, but I couldn't help but realize that Ishizu's brother knew more about his sister's condition than she herself knew. And that was a problem…

"Why couldn't you have shared this information with me before?" I asked, pretending to be amused by the information. I still had to act my part in this ordeal, and that meant playing dumb. "You could have easily shown me these documents of people and your family hierarchy at KaibaCorp. Why did you drag me out here?"

"Well…the real reason that I was hesitant to ask you about this is…" Sighing, she pursed her lips together and asked, "How do you feel about magic and the supernatural nowadays? It's been three years since you claimed that you couldn't care less about it, but have your opinions changed?"

I smirked and leaned back in my chair, playing it cool and calm, but really my mind was racing with different possibilities. Should I just flat out tell her that I believed in the supernatural, or pretend that I still thought it was all just nonsense that some idiot created long ago? I chuckled and answered, "I guess I'm starting to believe in some things, however I don't waste my time dealing with the supernatural. I have a company to run and Mokuba to take care of; ghouls and magic aren't my top priorities."

If that didn't sound like typical me, I didn't know what would.

"If these documents that Marik found are true, then that would mean that this 'Jewel' character was someone…with supernatural abilities," Ishizu stated cautiously, eyeing me carefully. She was really worried about scaring me off, and I didn't even need my powers to sense that. Her facial expression showed how concerned she was trying to touch this subject with me.

"Meaning?"

"Marik believes this was a vampire."

I let a moment of silence pass before letting out a small chuckle and shaking my head, the total opposite of how I truly felt. Marik knew this Jewel, the Blood Jewel, was a vampire, and yet his sister didn't even understand that the Jewel was an actual person. How did Marik know so much more than his sister when, as far as I could tell, he had no association with being a Knight? Something was definitely wrong here. "You're telling me that you believe your family protected vampires?" I asked mockingly.

"I knew you wouldn't believe me, which was why Marik was so confused when I brought up the idea of you helping us retrieve information," she replied, crossing her arms on her desk and leaning forward. "But I have to say that this is serious. I never believed in that kind of supernatural being, yet Marik seems to be one-hundred percent sure of his ideas. And if he's somehow right, that would mean that vampires exist and that my family did more than just tomb-keeping. This is why this is so serious to the two of us. If our family did indeed protect vampires, it would mean that what we were taught in Egypt was only partially true…and that just isn't right in our minds."

"What would you do if you found out this Jewel was an actual vampire, considering such myths actually exist for five seconds?" I questioned, placing the paper down on my lap and folding my arms over my chest.

"I… I know Marik would most likely give up his continued studies on our family lineage," Ishizu answered. "He's already had enough problems with this family, and if he realizes that there was a secret kept hidden from us for so long… I know his reaction will not be pleasant. I, however, will most likely just continue life as normal."

"Even if there are such things as vampires?" I knew my show of interest was probably giving her an opening, especially since it was difficult just trying to play this off, but I honestly didn't care at this point. There were still no responses from her aura, meaning that she was still normal with me. Not like this morning when her aura had totally drained mine, trying to grasp onto me like a tick. I was honestly shocked at how little it was draining me of energy. Not that it was a total picnic sitting here either, for there was still a dull tug every so often, but nothing to the extent of which I had planned for. Still, I couldn't complain, and it meant that she didn't suspect me of anything. Now that I was sitting here, discussing the actual problem, she didn't have the need to reach out and persuade me of anything. Her aura knew before her own mind that I would accept this. It was just the way auras worked, I guess. I never fully understood auras, but I'm sure even the oldest vampire didn't either.

"Even if there are vampires," she repeated, snapping me out of my little trance.

"Is that why you came to apologize to me? You are now finding out more about your family and felt guilty for shoving that Egyptian crap down my throat, so you thought you would say sorry and ask me to help you out?"

"Your bluntness knows no bounds, but yes, that's basically the truth," she answered.

"And what you're telling me now is that you're looking for something or someone that your ancestors protected long ago just because…?" I asked, tossing her papers back on the desk. "What do I get out of this?"

And that's when I felt it. A sudden sense of dread entered my system, hitting me full force. My breath hitched in my throat, and my eyes widened in shock. But Ishizu didn't seem to notice, for she frowned before biting her lower lip. "I have nothing to offer you but maybe my friendship," she answered honestly.

But her aura was calling out to me insanely. I guess I shouldn't have bitched about it not bothering me ten seconds ago, for now it was draining my body of all needed energy. Her sense of dread was hitting my system full throttle, and as I felt my fangs beginning to reveal themselves, I gasped before quickly standing up and walking toward the door. "A-Are you alright?" she asked in surprise, quickly walking up to me and placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Y-Yeah…I'm fine," I answered with as calm a voice as I could muster, but she knew as well as I did that that was a lie. My body was beginning to shake, yet her aura continued to reach out and pull at mine. "I'll help you out with this, okay?"

And just as quickly as it had occurred, her aura stopped its restraints on my body, her dread no longer necessary. She smiled widely up at me before embracing me once more, and I briefly wondered when she thought it was okay to hug me all the time. "Thank you, Kaiba, thank you so much," she whispered. I shook my head and regained my composure.

"It's nothing, Ishizu," I stated coldly, happy that my voice was back to normal, even if I felt anything but. "I will come over tomorrow, and we can discuss this some more. Right now I need to head home."

"Okay then," she replied, her smile never coming off her face. "I will be waiting for you here, and I'll be sure to tell the guards about your visit." I walked back to the chair I had been sitting in before picking my briefcase up and following Ishizu out of the office and down the hallway. "I honestly didn't think you would help me when I mentioned vampires since I know you aren't one to believe in such things," she confided, turning around and smirking at me. "Maybe you really are changing."

No, change wasn't the word. It was desperation. I was desperate to end this whole thing. Shrugging my shoulders, I mumbled "Whatever" before walking toward the double doors. "Don't forget about tomorrow," I concluded while opening the door up, and as I turned to close it behind me, I saw her clasp her hands together in front of her chest, a beaming smile on her face.

Walking down the stairs leading up to the entrance, I quickly ran to the side of the museum once I was out of sight and leaned against the cement wall. Her aura had literally drained everything in me; it had been so scared at the thought of me rejecting it that it had wrapped its claws around my very being. Dropping my briefcase, I placed my hands flat against the wall and let out a long sigh. Now that I knew what she knew, I could finish this once and for all. I didn't care if it meant she would become my Knight. I didn't care if it meant she would become my personal responsibility. I didn't care about any of that.

All I cared about was ending this nightmare once and for all. And I now knew what I was really dealing with.

A truly lost Knight.


	9. C9 : I'm a Monster

_Chapter 9 : I'm a Monster_

I didn't even remember biting into her neck. All I could feel was the blood seeping into my mouth, flowing down my throat, in such large amounts that I couldn't help but release a moan in response. It tasted so good, so sweet, so…pure. I licked what was escaping my lips off her neck before returning to my bite mark, sucking more and more out of her. I wasn't even thinking at this point about anything except the red liquid now entering my system, reviving my aura with energy that Ishizu had stolen from me.

I moaned once more when I felt the blood begin to stop and sucked for more, almost like a child wanting more from its mother's bosom. No, this wasn't enough. I wanted more… I _needed_ more… Eventually it stopped altogether, and no matter how hard I sucked at her neck, nothing came out. I merely stood there, my fangs lodged into her neck, enjoying the aftertaste of her blood, the liquid that kept her alive, and the liquid that was now returning life to me.

When I finally pulled my fangs out of her neck, I released my grip on her and watched as her limp body fell to the ground. My eyes widened in shock as my mind returned to me, and I leaned down and gently picked her up only to immediately drop her and lean against the opposite wall. It was a dark alley, and she had been a lone stranger, asking me if I wanted to get a drink with her. I didn't understand why she had trusted a stranger to go get a drink with, and I had taken advantage of her, a foolish human, leading her down this dark, deserted alleyway in downtown Domino City.

And now she was dead. I had drained her fucking dry with my desire for her blood… I don't remember the last time I drained a body. It was probably when I first became a vampire and didn't know how to control my lust for the sustenance that I craved constantly, but my aura had been so shattered that I lost all train of thought and _killed_ her.

Killing a hunter was never a problem for me, but killing an innocent was another story entirely. Guilt slowly crept into my system as I stared at her now lifeless body. She was just a young girl, looking about 20 or so. She had so much life to go through yet, so many dreams to realize…and I had just ended it.

But I couldn't deny the fact that I had wanted more out of her. Even though she lied there, dead as a rock, I almost wanted to curse her body for not containing more. The energy her blood contained now entered my own system, making me feel better than I had when I woke up this morning. It made me feel like my old self, before Ishizu began visiting me. It felt just as good as the night I had killed that hunter and drained him of energy. The bullet wounds may have hurt a bit, but after awhile I felt more powerful than God. It was that energy that now sent tingles up my spine, making me moan and lick the remaining blood off my lips.

What was I going to do with this body now, though? Letting out a sigh, I leaned forward and went to pick her up when a sudden shot rang through the air. Blinking in absolute shock, I noticed a bullet wound in my hand and quickly looked in the direction from which the bullet had traveled. "I have read about how a vampire loses sense of everything when he finds prey," a mocking, deep, accented voice started, and I listened as his footsteps came closer. The only light in the alleyway was directly above the dead girl and myself, but that generally didn't matter. Still, my top priority was the girl, and I watched the blood on my hand slowly fell onto her pink shirt. "They lose track of time, auras, even themselves… And now I see that everything about that is true. You didn't even sense me coming to find you, did you?"

"Who are you?" I questioned, letting my hand heal itself as I stood my full height and slowly turning my head towards him.

"Oh, but Mr. Kaiba, you should recognize me, shouldn't you?" he asked, walking into the light. I growled as realization dawned on me who this man was.

"Shimoba Jin," I hissed out, glaring menacingly at him. "Head killer for your disgusting organization and trained vampire hunter."

"I'm glad to see you haven't forgotten about me," he replied, bowing as though the two were in a ballroom setting or business meeting rather than a deserted, dark alleyway. "It's been so long since we last encountered one another, as I'm afraid I've been busy dealing with other pressing matters outside of this city, but alas I have come back to follow you as I did all those years ago."

"Don't act as though we've been friends all these years," I replied coldly. "I have never forgiven you for the trouble you've caused me."

Shimoba Jin was next to Uebana on my hit list, being the best vampire hunter I have ever met. A big, muscular man with long, white hair who always wore business suits, his family was known throughout the underground vampire society as elite heretic and vampire hunters, their origins going all the way back to Spain in the 1200s. My first encounter with Shimoba had left me scarred and beaten, and it took me a full two weeks to recover even with the vampire blood going for me. But his violent tactics bought him a lot of attention, and shortly afterwards he left. I figured he was gone for good…but obviously destiny wanted my _beautiful_ day to get a whole lot better.

"The trouble I caused you?" he questioned mockingly. "Please, Mr. Kaiba, you seem to forget all the trouble _you _have caused _me_ these past few years. If it wasn't for that severe beating I gave you years ago, I wouldn't have had to run away to Italy, spending all this time hunting insignificant beasts."

"I'm sure that I wasn't the one who trained you to hunt down my kind, even though there are so few of us," I countered.

"No, no, you are right. My hunter friends and I have done miracles over the centuries to eradicate you all down to the point where it isn't even a profitable job being a vampire hunter. How many of there are you now? Six? Seven? And you don't necessarily count as one since you're the infamous Blood Jewel. No, I do not hunt your kind so much anymore. Still, there are monsters like you who, even though they do not take on a human form, are out there and need to be slaughtered."

"Is that what you were doing in Italy, then? Hunting more monsters?"

"Oh, Mr. Kaiba, it's my job to hunt down monsters like yourself. I was in Italy because of the mess I made with you so many years ago as well as dealing with a gang of werewolves that appeared. Now that they are out of the way, I can return my attention to hunting you like the animal you are."

I growled at his insinuations and asked, "And you aren't an animal for killing all of those you've wronged in the past? I know of your family heritage, Shimoba, and I'm impressed at how many innocents your family has slaughtered in the name of justice."

"That was centuries ago, Mr. Kaiba," he continued in his blasé tone of voice. "Besides, didn't you just now kill an innocent? I sensed no evil from her, and she sure wasn't a hunter now was she?"

Glancing back down at the body of the dead girl, I returned my gaze to him and asked, "What do you expect? I'm as you say I am: a monster." Though I knew it was the truth, it still stung every time I said it. Vampires were monsters; I was a vampire; therefore, I was a monster. When it came down to the basics, I was a demon through and through. I fed on the life of the living to keep myself stable. I couldn't argue with Shimoba on that one.

"Yes, Mr. Kaiba, and that's why this organization has sent me to deal with you, the Blood Jewel."

"But you do realize that you are working for a vampire as well, correct?" I asked, raising my eyebrow and smirking at him.

"I have no need for vampire politics," he stated, waving his hand as if dismissing the comment. "You Blood Jewels and vampires can play your little game. I am just using Uebana so that I can keep track and eventually kill you. Once I'm done with you, I will turn my attention to him and hopefully get rid of him as well."

"You sure set your standards rather high these days," I commented, chuckling at him. "A Blood Jewel and a man hunting the Blood Jewel. I would say that deals enough with vampire politics. In fact, if there weren't any, you wouldn't even be able to hunt me down."

"That's where you're wrong, Mr. Kaiba. You see, you being the Blood Jewel has made you more than a few enemies. While Uebana is the only one that shows his face, there are many others out there that would gladly pay me to rip your head off your shoulders. And that is why I'm here now."

"So you are continuing what you did all those years ago?" I questioned, allowing the energy to begin flowing towards the palms of my hands.

"Exactly, Mr. Kaiba. I enjoy killing off monsters such as yourself, and it gives me pleasure to return to this business. So why don't we just stop talking and—"

Before he could finish his sentence, I lifted one of my pistols and fired within a seconds' time. I watched as he groaned and leaned forward slightly, blood beginning to seep through his shirt where his shoulder was located. "That's going to cost you," he stated, and just as quickly he pulled out three daggers and threw them in my direction.

Jumping up onto the rooftop and down into the next alleyway, I turned to see him follow me at nearly the same speed I had gone and throw two more daggers at me, one hitting me in the leg. I growled and quickly pulled it out before firing another round at him. He could move nearly as fast as a vampire for being such a muscular man, so most of my bullets whizzed by. Yet one more hit him, this time in the leg, slowing him down a bit.

"When are you ever going to just give up?" I asked, smirking at him as I fired at him again, hitting him once more.

"I'll 'give up' when your head is on my mantle where it belongs!" he exclaimed, and with surprisingly speed he launched himself forward. I shot twice, both bullets somehow missing, before he landed on top of me and began strangling me. Grabbing his hands, I flipped us over, my guns returning to their evaporated states and resupplying energy to my hands, and punched him square in the face.

"You should know I'm much stronger than I was when I first became the Blood Jewel," I stated, punching him once more in the jaw.

"And you should know that I have trained years beyond your life on how to kill your kind!" he countered. Within a few seconds he pulled a dagger out of his pocket and stabbed me in the stomach, taking me off guard. A second of weakness, and he threw me against the nearby wall, making me fall to the ground. I growled and swiftly pulled the dagger out of my torso, holding it in my hand as my blood from the blade began flowing down my arm.

"Although I must admit, I am happy to see you have grown so much since then," Shimoba stated as he slowly stood up. "You are definitely right about one thing; you are not the child you once were. So why should I kill you now when there is obviously so much fun ahead of me? Besides, I did not come here to kill you."

This made me clench my hands in rage. "Then why the fuck did you attack me like that?" I spat out.

"I wanted to see you after all these years," he answered, smiling widely at me. "Uebana told me that I was not to kill you right now. Apparently he's preparing for something big and does not want it all to be a waste of time and effort. So he sent me to say hello to you. I'm glad I did; it's been several weeks since I last hunted down an animal."

Growling for the third time that evening, I threw the dagger at him with amazing strength and watched as he backed slightly against the opposite wall, the dagger now lodged in his arm. Biting his lower lip, he whispered, "I will remember this meeting, Mr. Kaiba, in the future," before slowly taking it out. "For now, just know that I am back and that I will not finish until you lie dead, you filthy monster."

Just as quickly as he had first shown up, Shimoba headed down the alleyway, taking his phone out to most likely call Uebana and inform him on what happened. I punched the wall behind me in absolute rage over the day's events before groaning in pain. My wounds were beginning to heal themselves up, and these were rather deep ones to be sure. Leaning against the cement wall, I closed my eyes and tried to control my breathing as the blood slowly seeped back into my system, my skin beginning to stitch itself up.

I couldn't believe how fucked up of a day I had. If it could have gotten any worse, it did. Ishizu was now my responsibility. I had almost bitten Arisa, one of the only people who cared about me yet knew of my condition. And now Shimoba was back.

God fucking dammit.

A wave of pain suddenly hit my body, and I groaned again and slowly slid to my knees, watching as my stomach began cleaning itself up. I really was a monster…only a monster would hurt when healing yet feel nothing when actually being hurt. Only a monster would find no reason to argue with its hunter. Only a monster would kill an innocent…

Speaking of which…

A siren in the distance told me that it was now time to leave this area. Standing up and leaning against the wall, I slowly walked down as my strength returned to me before I felt alright to stand and walk on my own. Within a minute I was feeling fine, as if I didn't just have daggers or bullets enter my body, and let out a content sigh. At least I was stronger now so that I could actually face Shimoba.

If there was anyone I feared in this world, it was him. It wasn't fear though…it was more an appreciation for how skilled he truly was. I respected the fact that he was one of the few with an actual chance of killing me, the Blood Jewel, the highest level of vampire in the world. But by being that, he was an obvious threat to my survival and had always been one of my top priorities. After he left, I made sure to track him down, but lost sight of him and his crew once he entered central Russia. The fact that he was in Italy didn't surprise me; the Vatican was known for its underground societies of monster and vampire hunters. I was sure that Shimoba was part of one of those societies, just using vampire politics to get closer to the situation. I never understood how Uebana thought he could trust such an individual. He most likely planned the same exact strategy as Shimoba did: kill the other once the first is gone. My role in this was that I was the first one who needed to be killed on both agendas. And that's where they formed an alliance…on the premises that I, a vampire and the Blood Jewel, was killed.

Sighing, I looked down at my clothing with not the least amount of surprise when I saw that my entire outfit was bloodied up. I could not travel like this; people would either report me or fear me, and that attracts attention. Shimoba learned the hard way about attention, but I would never make that mistake. Still, I needed a way home, and even though I was a vampire, I couldn't just pull a vortex out of my ass and warp home. That wasn't the way things worked these nights.

But then who could I call? Roland didn't even know of my condition, and he would be shocked if his boss told him to come pick him up in downtown Domino City with blood all over his pants and shirt. The only person that knew about it was Arisa, but my watch read that it was almost ten thirty now, and I didn't have the heart to wake her up. She spent all day worrying about me, so the least I could do was give her the night off. Yet I didn't really have any other options available to me…

Biting my lower lip, I slowly took my phone out and dialed her number. Holding the phone up to my ear, I waited two rings before the line went through. "Mr. Kaiba?" she questioned in a seemingly-alert voice. I hoped I hadn't woken her up.

"Yes, it's me," I replied almost shamefully. "I need you to do me a favor."

"What is it, sir?"

"I was just recently involved in a fight, and my clothing is soaked through with blood. I'm in the middle of downtown Domino, however, and you and I both know that—"

"I'll pick you up right away, sir," she interrupted, making me blink in surprise. "Where are you right now?"

Looking down the alleyway, I answered, "I'm right next to the gas station. I can meet you there if you park in the very last, open spot. That should attract the least amount of attention."

"No problem, sir," she stated. "I'll be there as quickly as possible." The line went dead, and I put the phone back in my pocket.

Arisa… I felt so awful for using her like this. She shouldn't be woken up in the middle of the night because I was involved in a battle. She shouldn't have to come into work early just to prepare me synthetic blood. Yet she did all of these things without my asking her to do so… Why? I always wondered that about her. Why did she help me, a monster, out the way she did? After all, she was not a Knight and had no supernatural connections to me. So why?

Why did she help a monster like me?

Shaking my head, I began walking down the rest of the alleyway, awaiting her arrival. I would apologize to her for this inconvenience and tell her she could come in later tomorrow if she wanted to. Hopefully that would make some amends. It shocked me how much I cared about her, but then again it didn't. She protected me as much as she possibly could; the least I could do was allow her another hour or two of sleep. Was that too much to ask?

By the time she had arrived, I could hear more sirens in the distance and watched several news crews go by. They must have found that girl's body, and it would be all over the news about her death. I briefly wondered about my bite mark but remembered how I had basically torn open her throat to get more blood, so I hoped they wouldn't suspect the supernatural in this predicament. As for fingerprints and such, vampires didn't carry those. I left no fibers, no fingerprints… I was basically a ghost.

Walking over to her car, I sat down in the passenger seat and let out a sigh. She had a nice, sleek, red car with black, leather seating that she admitted to being extremely proud of, and here I was sitting in it with bloody attire. "I'm sorry about this," I started but was quickly cut off by her hand on my shoulder. Glancing over, I saw her smiling at me.

"It's no trouble, honestly," she replied as she placed her hand on the shift and, putting it in reverse, began backing out of the gas station. "As long as you're okay, then it's fine. Do you want me to take you home or to the company?"

"Home, please," I mumbled, leaning back in the chair. "And you may come in later if you so choose tomorrow morning since you came to get me."

"Mr. Kaiba, this is seriously nothing to worry about," she stated, this time a bit more sternly than normal. "Like I said, as long as you are fine, it's okay."

I couldn't say anything else. She didn't care what it took, as long as I was alive and well at the end of the day. She cared about me, the monster that I was, even after I had just killed an innocent (even though she didn't know that yet). Pursing my lips together, I merely closed my eyes and listened to the radio, which was playing heavy metal music, until we arrived at my mansion. "Thank you…for the ride," I muttered as I got out of the car and stood, waiting as she drove off.

Arisa…she was something else. Cursing the day's events once more, I trudged into my house and quietly made my way up to my room, hoping to get a shower and get some work done, but not before checking on Mokuba to make sure he was sound asleep.


End file.
